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CIS Microsoft IIS 10 Benchmark v1.0.0

This document provides recommendations for securing Microsoft IIS 10 web servers. It contains over 70 specific configuration settings across 7 categories: 1) basic configurations, 2) authentication and authorization, 3) ASP.NET configuration, 4) request filtering, 5) logging, 6) FTP requests, and 7) transport encryption. Compliance with the recommendations is measured using a scoring system to determine a server's security posture.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

531 views

CIS Microsoft IIS 10 Benchmark v1.0.0

Uploaded by

Hamada Elgen

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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CIS Microsoft IIS 10 Benchmark

v1.0.0 - 03-31-2017
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
4.0 International Public License. The link to the license terms can be found at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode

To further clarify the Creative Commons license related to CIS Benchmark content, you are
authorized to copy and redistribute the content for use by you, within your organization
and outside your organization for non-commercial purposes only, provided that (i)
appropriate credit is given to CIS, (ii) a link to the license is provided. Additionally, if you
remix, transform or build upon the CIS Benchmark(s), you may only distribute the modified
materials if they are subject to the same license terms as the original Benchmark license
and your derivative will no longer be a CIS Benchmark. Commercial use of CIS Benchmarks
is subject to the prior approval of the Center for Internet Security.

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Table of Contents

Overview .................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Intended Audience ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Consensus Guidance........................................................................................................................................ 5
Typographical Conventions ......................................................................................................................... 6
Scoring Information ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Profile Definitions ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................................... 8
Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................ 9
1 Basic Configurations .................................................................................................................................... 9
1.1 Ensure web content is on non-system partition (Scored) ............................................... 9
1.2 Ensure 'host headers' are on all sites (Scored) ................................................................. 11
1.3 Ensure 'directory browsing' is set to disabled (Scored) ............................................... 13
1.4 Ensure 'application pool identity' is configured for all application pools (Scored)
..................................................................................................................................................................... 15
1.5 Ensure 'unique application pools' is set for sites (Scored) .......................................... 18
1.6 Ensure 'application pool identity' is configured for anonymous user identity
(Scored) ................................................................................................................................................... 20
2 Configure Authentication and Authorization ................................................................................. 22
2.1 Ensure 'global authorization rule' is set to restrict access (Not Scored) ................ 22
2.2 Ensure access to sensitive site features is restricted to authenticated principals
only (Not Scored) ................................................................................................................................. 24
2.3 Ensure 'forms authentication' require SSL (Scored) ...................................................... 27
2.4 Ensure 'forms authentication' is set to use cookies (Scored) ..................................... 29
2.5 Ensure 'cookie protection mode' is configured for forms authentication (Scored)
..................................................................................................................................................................... 31
2.6 Ensure transport layer security for 'basic authentication' is configured (Scored)
..................................................................................................................................................................... 33
2.7 Ensure 'passwordFormat' is not set to clear (Scored) ................................................... 35

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2.8 Ensure 'credentials' are not stored in configuration files (Scored) .......................... 37
3 ASP.NET Configuration Recommendations ..................................................................................... 39
3.1 Ensure 'deployment method retail' is set (Scored) ......................................................... 39
3.2 Ensure 'debug' is turned off (Scored) ................................................................................... 41
3.3 Ensure custom error messages are not off (Scored) ...................................................... 43
3.4 Ensure IIS HTTP detailed errors are hidden from displaying remotely (Scored)
..................................................................................................................................................................... 45
3.5 Ensure ASP.NET stack tracing is not enabled (Scored) ................................................. 47
3.6 Ensure 'httpcookie' mode is configured for session state (Scored) ......................... 49
3.7 Ensure 'cookies' are set with HttpOnly attribute (Scored) .......................................... 51
3.8 Ensure 'MachineKey validation method - .Net 3.5' is configured (Scored) ........... 53
3.9 Ensure 'MachineKey validation method - .Net 4.5' is configured (Scored) ........... 55
3.10 Ensure global .NET trust level is configured (Scored) ................................................ 57
4 Request Filtering and Other Restriction Modules ........................................................................ 60
4.1 Ensure 'maxAllowedContentLength' is configured (Not Scored) .............................. 60
4.2 Ensure 'maxURL request filter' is configured (Scored) ................................................. 63
4.3 Ensure 'MaxQueryString request filter' is configured (Scored) ................................. 65
4.4 Ensure non-ASCII characters in URLs are not allowed (Scored) ............................... 67
4.5 Ensure Double-Encoded requests will be rejected (Scored) ....................................... 69
4.6 Ensure 'HTTP Trace Method' is disabled (Scored).......................................................... 71
4.7 Ensure Unlisted File Extensions are not allowed (Scored) .......................................... 73
4.8 Ensure Handler is not granted Write and Script/Execute (Scored) ......................... 75
4.9 Ensure 'notListedIsapisAllowed' is set to false (Scored) .............................................. 77
4.10 Ensure 'notListedCgisAllowed' is set to false (Scored) ............................................... 79
4.11 Ensure 'Dynamic IP Address Restrictions' is enabled (Not Scored) ...................... 81
5 IIS Logging Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 83
5.1 Ensure Default IIS web log location is moved (Scored) ................................................ 83
5.2 Ensure Advanced IIS logging is enabled (Scored) ........................................................... 85
5.3 Ensure 'ETW Logging' is enabled (Not Scored) ................................................................ 87
6 FTP Requests ............................................................................................................................................... 89
6.1 Ensure FTP requests are encrypted (Scored) ................................................................... 89

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6.2 Ensure FTP Logon attempt restrictions is enabled (Not Scored) .............................. 91
7 Transport Encryption .............................................................................................................................. 93
7.1 Ensure HSTS Header is set (Not Scored) ............................................................................. 94
7.2 Ensure SSLv2 is disabled (Scored) ........................................................................................ 97
7.3 Ensure SSLv3 is disabled (Scored) ........................................................................................ 99
7.4 Ensure TLS 1.0 is disabled (Not Scored) ........................................................................... 101
7.5 Ensure TLS 1.1 is enabled (Not Scored) ............................................................................ 103
7.6 Ensure TLS 1.2 is enabled (Scored) ..................................................................................... 104
7.7 Ensure NULL Cipher Suites is disabled (Scored) ........................................................... 106
7.8 Ensure DES Cipher Suites is disabled (Scored) .............................................................. 107
7.9 Ensure RC4 Cipher Suites is disabled (Scored) .............................................................. 108
7.10 Ensure Triple DES Cipher Suite is Disabled (Scored) ................................................ 110
7.11 Ensure AES 128/128 Cipher Suite is configured (Not Scored) .............................. 111
7.12 Ensure AES 256/256 Cipher Suite is enabled (Scored) ............................................ 112
7.13 Ensure TLS Cipher Suite ordering is configured (Scored) ....................................... 114
Appendix: Summary Table ........................................................................................................................... 118
Appendix: Change History ............................................................................................................................ 120

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Overview
This document, CIS Microsoft IIS 10 Benchmark, provides prescriptive guidance for
establishing a secure configuration posture for Microsoft IIS 10. This guide was tested
against Microsoft IIS 10 running on Microsoft Windows Server 2016. To obtain the latest
version of this guide, please visit <http://benchmarks.cisecurity.org>. If you have
questions, comments, or have identified ways to improve this guide, please write us at
[email protected].

Intended Audience
This document is intended for system and application administrators, security specialists,
auditors, help desk, and platform deployment personnel who plan to develop, deploy,
assess, or secure solutions that incorporate Microsoft IIS 10.

Consensus Guidance
This benchmark was created using a consensus review process comprised of subject
matter experts. Consensus participants provide perspective from a diverse set of
backgrounds including consulting, software development, audit and compliance, security
research, operations, government, and legal.

Each CIS benchmark undergoes two phases of consensus review. The first phase occurs
during initial benchmark development. During this phase, subject matter experts convene
to discuss, create, and test working drafts of the benchmark. This discussion occurs until
consensus has been reached on benchmark recommendations. The second phase begins
after the benchmark has been published. During this phase, all feedback provided by the
Internet community is reviewed by the consensus team for incorporation in the
benchmark. If you are interested in participating in the consensus process, please visit
https://community.cisecurity.org.

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Typographical Conventions
The following typographical conventions are used throughout this guide:

Convention Meaning
Stylized Monospace font Used for blocks of code, command, and script examples.
Text should be interpreted exactly as presented.

Monospace font Used for inline code, commands, or examples. Text should
be interpreted exactly as presented.

<italic font in brackets> Italic texts set in angle brackets denote a variable
requiring substitution for a real value.

Italic font Used to denote the title of a book, article, or other

publication.

Note Additional information or caveats

Scoring Information
A scoring status indicates whether compliance with the given recommendation impacts the
assessed target's benchmark score. The following scoring statuses are used in this
benchmark:

Scored

Failure to comply with "Scored" recommendations will decrease the final benchmark score.
Compliance with "Scored" recommendations will increase the final benchmark score.

Not Scored

Failure to comply with "Not Scored" recommendations will not decrease the final
benchmark score. Compliance with "Not Scored" recommendations will not increase the
final benchmark score.

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Profile Definitions
The following configuration profiles are defined by this Benchmark:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Items in this profile apply to Microsoft IIS 10 running on Microsoft Windows Server
2016 and intend to:

o be practical and prudent;

o provide a clear security benefit; and
o not inhibit the utility of the technology beyond acceptable means.

Level 2 - IIS 10

This profile extends the "Level 1 - IIS 10" profile. Items in this profile apply to
Microsoft IIS 10 running on Microsoft Windows Server 2016 and exhibit one or
more of the following characteristics:

o are intended for environments or use cases where security is paramount

o acts as defense in depth measure
o may negatively inhibit the utility or performance of the technology.

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Acknowledgements
This benchmark exemplifies the great things a community of users, vendors, and subject matter
experts can accomplish through consensus collaboration. The CIS community thanks the entire
consensus team with special recognition to the following individuals who contributed greatly to
the creation of this guide:

Contributor
Jordan Rakoske
Philippe Langlois

Editor
Terri Donahue
Victor Dzheyranov

The Center for Internet Security extends special recognition and thanks to Microsoft IIS
team for their collaboration and validation of this guide.

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Recommendations
1 Basic Configurations
This section contains basic Web server-level recommendations.

1.1 Ensure web content is on non-system partition (Scored)

Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

Web resources published through IIS are mapped, via Virtual Directories, to physical
locations on disk. It is recommended to map all Virtual Directories to a non-system disk
volume.

Rationale:

Isolating web content from system files may reduce the probability of:

Web sites/applications exhausting system disk space

File IO vulnerability in the web site/application from affecting the confidentiality
and/or integrity of system files

Audit:

Execute the following command to ensure no virtual directories are mapped to the system
drive:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd list vdir

Remediation:

1. Browse to web content in C:\\inetpub\\wwwroot\\

2. Copy or cut content onto a dedicated and restricted web folder on a non-system
drive such as D:\\webroot\\
3. Change mappings for any applications or Virtual Directories to reflect the new
location

To change the mapping for the application named app1 which resides under the Default
Web Site, open IIS Manager:

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1. Expand the server node
2. Expand Sites
3. Expand Default Web Site
4. Click on app1
5. In the Actions pane, select Basic Settings
6. In the Physical path text box, put the new location of the application,
D:\\wwwroot\\app1 in the example above

Default Value:

The default location for web content is: %systemdrive%\inetpub\wwwroot.

References:

1. http://blogs.iis.net/thomad/archive/2008/02/10/moving-the-iis7-inetpub-
directory-to-a-different-drive.aspx

CIS Controls:

14 Controlled Access Based on the Need to Know

Controlled Access Based on the Need to Know

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1.2 Ensure 'host headers' are on all sites (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

Host headers provide the ability to host multiple websites on the same IP address and port.
It is recommended that host headers be configured for all sites. Wildcard host headers are
now supported.

Rationale:

Requiring a Host header for all sites may reduce the probability of:

DNS rebinding attacks successfully compromising or abusing site data or

functionality
IP-based scans successfully identifying or interacting with a target application
hosted on IIS

Note: If a wildcard DNS entry exists and a wildcard host header is used, you may be serving
data to more domains than intended.

Audit:

Execute the following command to identify sites that are not configured to require host
headers:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd list sites

All sites will be listed as such: SITE "Default Web Site"
(id:1,bindings:http/\*:80:test.com,state:Started) SITE "badsite"
(id:3,bindings:http/\*:80:,state:Started) For all non-SSL sites, ensure that the
IP:port:host binding triplet contains a host name. In the example above, the first site is
configured as recommended given the Default Web Site has a host header of test.com.
badsite, however, does not have a host header configured - it shows \*:80: which means
all IPs over port 80, with no host header.

Remediation:

Obtain a listing of all sites by using the following appcmd.exe command:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd list sites

Perform the following in IIS Manager to configure host headers for the Default Web Site:

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1. Open IIS Manager
2. In the Connections pane expand the Sites node and select Default Web Site
3. In the Actions pane click Bindings
4. In the Site Bindings dialog box, select the binding for which host headers are going
to be configured, Port 80 in this example
5. Click Edit
6. Under host name, enter the sites FQDN, such as <www.examplesite.com>
7. Click OK, then Close

Note: Requiring a host header may impair site functionality for HTTP/1.0 clients.

Default Value:

By default, host headers are not required or set up automatically.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753195%28WS.10%29.aspx
2. http://crypto.stanford.edu/dns/dns-rebinding.pdf
3. http://www.sslshopper.com/article-ssl-host-headers-in-iis-7.html
4. http://blogs.iis.net/thomad/archive/2008/01/25/ssl-certificates-on-sites-with-
host-headers.aspx
5. https://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-10/wildcard-host-header-
support

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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1.3 Ensure 'directory browsing' is set to disabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

Directory browsing allows the contents of a directory to be displayed upon request from a
web client. If directory browsing is enabled for a directory in Internet Information Services,
users receive a page that lists the contents of the directory when the following two
conditions are met:

1. No specific file is requested in the URL

2. The Default Documents feature is disabled in IIS, or if it is enabled, IIS is unable to
locate a file in the directory that matches a name specified in the IIS default
document list

It is recommended that directory browsing be disabled.

Rationale:

Ensuring that directory browsing is disabled may reduce the probability of disclosing
sensitive content that is inadvertently accessible via IIS.

Audit:

Perform the following to verify that Directory Browsing has been disabled at the server
level:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd list config /section:directoryBrowse

If the server is configured as recommended, the following will be displayed:

<system.webServer>
<directoryBrowse enabled="false" />
<system.webServer>

Remediation:

Directory Browsing can be set by using the UI, running appcmd.exe commands, by editing
configuration files directly, or by writing WMI scripts. To disable directory browsing at the
server level using an appcmd.exe command:

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%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /section:directoryBrowse
/enabled:false

Default Value:

In IIS, directory browsing is disabled by default.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc725840%28WS.10%29.aspx
2. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731109%28WS.10%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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1.4 Ensure 'application pool identity' is configured for all application
pools (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

Application Pool Identities are the actual users/authorities that will run the worker
process - w3wp.exe. Assigning the correct user authority will help ensure that applications
can function properly, while not giving overly permissive permissions on the system. These
identities can further be used in ACLs to protect system content. It is recommended that
each Application Pool run under a unique identity.

IIS has additional built-in least privilege identities intended for use by Application Pools. It
is recommended that the default Application Pool Identity be changed to a least privilege
principle other than Network Service. Furthermore, it is recommended that all application
pool identities be assigned a unique least privilege principal.

To achieve isolation in IIS, application pools can be run as separate identities. IIS can be
configured to automatically use the application pool identity if no anonymous user account
is configured for a Web site. This can greatly reduce the number of accounts needed for
Web sites and make management of the accounts easier. It is recommended the Application
Pool Identity be set as the Anonymous User Identity.

The name of the Application Pool account corresponds to the name of the Application Pool.
Application Pool Identities were introduced in Windows Server 2008 SP2. It is
recommended that Application Pools be set to run as ApplicationPoolIdentity unless
there is an underlying reason that the application pool needs to run as a specified end user
account. One example where this is needed is for web farms using Kerberos authentication.

Rationale:

Setting Application Pools to use unique least privilege identities such as

ApplicationPoolIdentity reduces the potential harm the identity could cause should the
application ever become compromised.

Additionally, it will simplify application pools configuration and account management.

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Audit:

To verify the Application Pools have been set to run under the ApplicationPoolIdentity
using IIS Manager:

1. Open IIS Manager

2. Open the Application Pools node underneath the machine node; select Application
Pool to be verified
3. Right click the Application Pool and select Advanced Settings
4. Under the Process Model section, locate the Identity option and ensure that
ApplicationPoolIdentity is set

This configuration is stored in the same applicationHost.config file for web sites and
application/virtual directories, at the bottom of the file, surrounded by <location
path="path/to/resource"> tags.

To verify that any new Application Pools use the ApplicationPoolIdentity, execute the
following command to determine if the Application Pool default has been changed to
ApplicationPoolIdentity:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd list config /section:applicationPools

Remediation:

The default Application Pool identity may be set for an application using the IIS Manager
GUI, using AppCmd.exe commands in a command-line window, directly editing the
configuration files, or by writing WMI scripts. Perform the following to change the default
identity to the built-in ApplicationPoolIdentity in the IIS Manager GUI:

1. Open the IIS Manager GUI

2. In the connections pane, expand the server node and click Application Pools
3. On the Application Pools page, select the DefaultAppPool, and then click Advanced
Settings in the Actions pane
4. For the Identity property, click the '...' button to open the Application Pool
Identity dialog box
5. Select the Built-in account option choose ApplicationPoolIdentity from the list, or
input a unique application user created for this purpose
6. Restart IIS

To change the ApplicationPool identity to the built-in ApplicationPoolIdentity using

AppCmd.exe, run the following from a command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /section:applicationPools

/[name='<your apppool>'].processModel.identityType:ApplicationPoolIdentity

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The example code above will set just the DefaultAppPool. Run this command for each
configured Application Pool. Additionally, ApplicationPoolIdentity can be made the
default for all Application Pools by using the Set Application Pool Defaults action on the
Application Pools node.

If using a custom defined Windows user such as a dedicated service account, that user will
need to be a member of the IIS_IUSRS group. The IIS_IUSRS group has access to all the
necessary file and system resources so that an account, when added to this group, can
seamlessly act as an application pool identity.

Default Value:

By Default, the DefaultAppPool in IIS is configured to use the ApplicationPoolIdentity

account.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc771170%28WS.10%29.aspx
2. http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/140/understanding-built-in-user-and-group-
accounts-in-iis-7/
3. http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/624/application-pool-identities/
4. http://blogs.iis.net/tomwoolums/archive/2008/12/17/iis-7-0-application-
pools.aspx

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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1.5 Ensure 'unique application pools' is set for sites (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

IIS introduced a new security feature called Application Pool Identities that allows
Application Pools to be run under unique accounts without the need to create and manage
local or domain accounts. It is recommended that all Sites run under unique, dedicated
Application Pools.

Rationale:

By setting sites to run under unique Application Pools, resource-intensive applications can
be assigned to their own application pools which could improve server and application
performance.In addition, it can help maintain application availability: if an application in
one pool fails, applications in other pools are not affected.Last, isolating applications helps
mitigate the potential risk of one application being allowed access to the resources of
another application. It is also recommended to stop any application pool that is not in use
or was created by an installation such as .Net 4.0.

Audit:

The following appcmd.exe command will give a listing of all applications configured, which
site they are in, which application pool is serving them and which application pool identity
they are running under:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd list app

The output of this command will be similar to the following: APP "Default Web Site/"
(applicationPool:DefaultAppPool)

1. Run the above command and ensure a unique application pool is assigned for each
site listed

Remediation:

1. Open IIS Manager

2. Open the Sites node underneath the machine node
3. Select the Site to be changed
4. In the Actions pane, select Basic Settings
5. Click the Select box next to the Application Pool text box
6. Select the desired Application Pool

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7. Once selected, click OK

Default Value:

By default, all Sites created will use the Default Application Pool (DefaultAppPool).

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753449%28WS.10%29.aspx
2. http://blogs.iis.net/tomwoolums/archive/2008/12/17/iis-7-0-application-
pools.aspx
3. http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/624/application-pool-identities/

CIS Controls:

14.4 Protect Information With Access Control Lists

All information stored on systems shall be protected with file system, network share,
claims, application, or database specific access control lists. These controls will enforce the
principal that only authorized individuals should have access to the information based on
their need to access the information as a part of their responsibilities.

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1.6 Ensure 'application pool identity' is configured for anonymous user
identity (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

Rationale:

Configuring the anonymous user identity to use the application pool identity will help
ensure site isolation - provided sites are set to use the application pool identity. Since a
unique principal will run each application pool, it will ensure the identity is least privilege.
Additionally, it will simplify Site management.

Audit:

Find and open the applicationHost.config file and verify that the userName attribute of
the anonymousAuthentication tag is set to a blank string:

<system.webServer>
<security>
<authentication>
<anonymousAuthentication userName="" />
</authentication>
</security>
</system.webServer>
This configuration is stored in the same applicationHost.config file for web sites and
application/virtual directories, at the bottom of the file, surrounded by <location
path="path/to/resource"> tags.

Remediation:

The Anonymous User Identity can be set to Application Pool Identity by using the IIS
Manager GUI, using AppCmd.exe commands in a command-line window, directly editing the
configuration files, or by writing WMI scripts. Perform the following to set the username
attribute of the anonymousAuthentication node in the IIS Manager GUI:

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1. Open the IIS Manager GUI and navigate to the desired server, site, or application
2. In Features View, find and double-click the Authentication icon
3. Select the Anonymous Authentication option and in the Actions pane select Edit...
4. Choose Application pool identity in the modal window and then press the OK button

To use AppCmd.exe to configure anonymousAuthentication at the server level, the

command would look like this:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config -

section:anonymousAuthentication /username:"" --password

Default Value:

The default identity for the anonymous user is the IUSR virtual account.

References:

1. http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/202/application-pool-identity-as-anonymous-user/
2. http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/624/application-pool-identities/

CIS Controls:

14.4 Protect Information With Access Control Lists

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2 Configure Authentication and Authorization
This section contains recommendations around the different layers of authentication in IIS.

2.1 Ensure 'global authorization rule' is set to restrict access (Not Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

IIS introduced URL Authorization, which allows the addition of Authorization rules to the
actual URL, instead of the underlying file system resource, as a way to protect it.
Authorization rules can be configured at the server, web site, folder (including Virtual
Directories), or file level. The native URL Authorization module applies to all requests,
whether they are .NET managed or other types of files (e.g. static files or ASP files). It is
recommended that URL Authorization be configured to only grant access to the necessary
security principals.

Rationale:

Configuring a global Authorization rule that restricts access will ensure inheritance of the
settings down through the hierarchy of web directories; if that content is copied elsewhere,
the authorization rules flow with it. This will ensure access to current and future content is
only granted to the appropriate principals, mitigating risk of accidental or unauthorized
access.

Audit:

At the web site or application level, verify that the authorization rule configured has been
applied:

1. Connect to Internet Information Services (IIS Manager)

2. Select the site or application where Authorization was configured
3. Select Authorization Rules and verify the configured rules were added

To verify an authorization rule specifying no access to all users except the Administrators
group, browse to and open the web.config file for the configured site/application/content:

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<remove users="*" roles="" verbs="" />
<add accessType="Allow" roles="administrators" />
</authorization>
</security>
</system.webServer>
</configuration>

Remediation:

To configure URL Authorization at the server level using IIS Manager:

1. Connect to Internet Information Services (IIS Manager)

2. Select the server
3. Select Authorization Rules
4. Remove the "Allow All Users" rule
5. Click Add Allow Rule
6. Allow access to the user(s), user groups, or roles that are authorized across all of the
web sites and applications (e.g. the Administrators group)

Default Value:

The default server-level setting is to allow all users access.

References:

1. http://www.iis.net/learn/manage/configuring-security/understanding-iis-url-
authorization
2. http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-7/changes-in-security-
between-iis-60-and-iis-7-and-above#Authorization

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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2.2 Ensure access to sensitive site features is restricted to authenticated
principals only (Not Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

IIS supports both challenge-based and login redirection-based authentication methods.

Challenge-based authentication methods, such as Integrated Windows Authentication,
require a client to respond correctly to a server-initiated challenge. A login redirection-
based authentication method such as Forms Authentication relies on redirection to a login
page to determine the identity of the principal. Challenge-based authentication and login
redirection-based authentication methods cannot be used in conjunction with one another.

Public servers/sites are typically configured to use Anonymous Authentication. This

method typically works, provided the content or services is intended for use by the public.
When sites, applications, or specific content containers are not intended for anonymous
public use, an appropriate authentication mechanism should be utilized. Authentication
will help confirm the identity of clients who request access to sites, application, and
content. IIS provides the following authentication modules by default:

Anonymous Authentication - allows anonymous users to access sites, applications,

and/or content
Integrated Windows Authentication - authenticates users using the NTLM or
Kerberos protocols; Kerberos v5 requires a connection to Active Directory
ASP.NET Impersonation - allows ASP.NET applications to run under a security
context different from the default security context for an application
Forms Authentication - enables a user to login to the configured space with a valid
user name and password which is then validated against a database or other
credentials store
Basic authentication - requires a valid user name and password to access content
Client Certificate Mapping Authentication - allows automatic authentication of users
who log on with client certificates that have been configured; requires SSL
Digest Authentication - uses Windows domain controller to authenticate users who
request access

Note that none of the challenge-based authentication modules can be used at the same time
Forms Authentication is enabled for certain applications/content. Forms Authentication
does not rely on IIS authentication, so anonymous access for the ASP.NET application can
be configured if Forms Authentication will be used.

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It is recommended that sites containing sensitive information, confidential data, or non-
public web services be configured with a credentials-based authentication mechanism.

Rationale:

Configuring authentication will help mitigate the risk of unauthorized users accessing data
and/or services, and in some cases reduce the potential harm that can be done to a system.

Audit:

To verify that the authentication module is enabled for a specific site, application, or
content, browse to and open the web.config file pertaining to the content. Verify the
configuration file now has a mode defined within the <authentication> tags. The example
below shows that Forms Authentication is configured, cookies will always be used, and SSL
is required:

<system.web>
<authentication>
<forms cookieless="UseCookies" requireSSL="true" />
</authentication>
</system.web>

Remediation:

When configuring an authentication module for the first time, each mechanism must be
completely configured before use.

Enabling authentication can be performed by using the user interface (UI), running
AppCmd.exe commands in a command-line window, editing configuration files directly, or
by writing WMI scripts. To verify an authentication mechanism is in place for sensitive
content using the IIS Manager GUI:

1. Open IIS Manager and navigate to level with sensitive content

2. In Features View, double-click Authentication
3. On the Authentication page, make sure an authentication module is enabled, while
anonymous authentication is enabled (Forms Authentication can have anonymous
as well)
4. If necessary, select the desired authentication module, then in the Actions pane,
click Enable

Default Value:

The default installation of IIS supports Anonymous Authentication without further electing
additional methods.

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References:

1. http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/377/using-aspnet-forms-authentication/rev/1
2. http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/244/how-to-take-advantage-of-the-iis7-integrated-
pipeline/
3. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc733010%28WS.10%29.aspx
4. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa480476.aspx
5. https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831496(v=ws.11).aspx

CIS Controls:

14.4 Protect Information With Access Control Lists

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2.3 Ensure 'forms authentication' require SSL (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

Forms-based authentication can pass credentials across the network in clear text. It is
therefore imperative that the traffic between client and server be encrypted using SSL,
especially in cases where the site is publicly accessible. It is recommended that
communications with any portion of a site using Forms Authentication be encrypted using
SSL.

NOTE Due to identified security vulnerabilities, SSL is no longer considered to provides

adequate protection for a sensitive information.

Rationale:

Requiring SSL for Forms Authentication will protect the confidentiality of credentials
during the login process, helping mitigate the risk of stolen user information.

Audit:

To verify that SSL is required for forms authentication for a specific site, application, or
content, browse to and open the web.config file for the level in which forms authentication
was enabled. Verify the tag <forms requireSSL="true" />:

<system.web>
<authentication>
<forms requireSSL="true" />
</authentication>
</system.web>

Remediation:

1. Open IIS Manager and navigate to the appropriate tier

2. In Features View, double-click Authentication
3. On the Authentication page, select Forms Authentication
4. In the Actions pane, click Edit
5. Check the Requires SSL checkbox in the cookie settings section, click OK

Default Value:

SSL is not required when Forms Authentication is enabled.

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References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc771077(WS.10).aspx

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

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2.4 Ensure 'forms authentication' is set to use cookies (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

Forms Authentication can be configured to maintain the site visitor's session identifier in
either a URI or cookie. It is recommended that Forms Authentication be set to use cookies.

Rationale:

Using cookies to manage session state may help mitigate the risk of session hi-jacking
attempts by preventing ASP.NET from having to move session information to the URL.
Moving session information identifiers into the URL may cause session IDs to show up in
proxy logs, browsing history, and be accessible to client scripting via document.location.

Audit:

Locate and open the web.config for the configured application. Verify the presence of
<forms cookieless="UseCookies" />.

<system.web>
<authentication>
<forms cookieless="UseCookies" requireSSL="true" timeout="30" />
</authentication>
</system.web>

Remediation:

1. Open IIS Manager and navigate to the level where Forms Authentication is enabled
2. In Features View, double-click Authentication
3. On the Authentication page, select Forms Authentication
4. In the Actions pane, click Edit
5. In the Cookie settings section, select Use cookies from the Mode dropdown

Default Value:

The default setting for Cookie Mode is Auto Detect which will only use cookies if the device
profile supports cookies.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732830%28WS.10%29.aspx

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CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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2.5 Ensure 'cookie protection mode' is configured for forms
authentication (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

The cookie protection mode defines the protection Forms Authentication cookies will be
given within a configured application. The four cookie protection modes that can be
defined are:

Encryption and validation - Specifies that the application use both data validation
and encryption to help protect the cookie; this option uses the configured data
validation algorithm (based on the machine key) and triple-DES (3DES) for
encryption, if available and if the key is long enough (48 bytes or more)
None - Specifies that both encryption and validation are disabled for sites that are
using cookies only for personalization and have weaker security requirements
Encryption - Specifies that the cookie is encrypted by using Triple-DES or DES, but
data validation is not performed on the cookie; cookies used in this manner might
be subject to plain text attacks
Validation - Specifies that a validation scheme verifies that the contents of an
encrypted cookie have not been changed in transit

It is recommended that cookie protection mode always encrypt and validate Forms
Authentication cookies.

Rationale:

By encrypting and validating the cookie, the confidentiality and integrity of data within the
cookie is assured. This helps mitigate the risk of attacks such as session hijacking and
impersonation.

Audit:

Locate and open the web.config for the configured application. Verify the presence of
<forms protection="All" />.

<system.web>
<authentication>
<forms cookieless="UseCookies" protection="All" />
</authentication>
</system.web>

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The protection="All" property will only show up if cookie protection mode was set to
something different, and then changed to Encryption and validation. To truly verify the
protection="All" property in the web.config, the protection mode can be changed, and
then changed back. Conversely, the protection="All" line can be added to the web.config
manually.

Remediation:

Cookie protection mode can be configured by using the user interface (UI), by running
Appcmd.exe commands in a command-line window, by editing configuration files directly,
or by writing WMI scripts. Using IIS Manager:

Default Value:

When cookies are used for Forms Authentication, the default cookie protection mode is
All, meaning the application encrypts and validates the cookie.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731804%28WS.10%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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2.6 Ensure transport layer security for 'basic authentication' is
configured (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

Basic Authentication can pass credentials across the network in clear text. It is therefore
imperative that the traffic between client and server be encrypted, especially in cases
where the site is publicly accessible and is recommended that TLS be configured and
required for any Site or Application using Basic Authentication.

Rationale:

Credentials sent in clear text can be easily intercepted by malicious code or persons.
Enforcing the use of Transport Layer Security will help mitigate the chances of hijacked
credentials.

Audit:

Once transport layer security has been configured and required for a Site or application,
only the https:// address will be available. Attempt loading the Site or application for
which Basic Authentication is configured using http://, the requests will fail and IIS will
throw a 403.4 - Forbidden error.

Remediation:

To protect Basic Authentication with transport layer security:

1. Open IIS Manager

2. In the Connections pane on the left, select the server to be configured
3. In the Connections pane, expand the server, then expand Sites and select the site to
be configured
4. In the Actions pane, click Bindings; the Site Bindings dialog appears
5. If an HTTPS binding is available, click Close and see below "To require SSL"
6. If no HTTPS binding is visible, perform the following steps

To add an HTTPS binding:

1. In the Site Bindings dialog, click Add; the Add Site Binding dialog appears
2. Under Type, select https
3. Under SSL certificate, select an X.509 certificate

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4. Click OK, then close

To require SSL:

1. In Features View, double-click SSL Settings

2. On the SSL Settings page, select Require SSL.
3. In the Actions pane, click Apply

Default Value:

Transport Layer Security is not enabled by default when Basic Authentication is configured.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd378853%28WS.10%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

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2.7 Ensure 'passwordFormat' is not set to clear (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

The <credentials> element of the <authentication> element allows optional definitions

of name and password for IIS Manager User accounts within the configuration file. Forms
based authentication also uses these elements to define the users. IIS Manager Users can
use the administration interface to connect to sites and applications in which they've been
granted authorization. Note that the <credentials> element only applies when the default
provider, ConfigurationAuthenticationProvider, is configured as the authentication
provider. It is recommended that passwordFormat be set to a value other than Clear, such
as SHA1.

Rationale:

Authentication credentials should always be protected to reduce the risk of stolen

authentication credentials.

Audit:

Locate and open the configuration file for the configured application. Verify the
credentials element is not present:

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Remediation:

Authentication mode is configurable at the machine.config, root-level web.config, or

application-level web.config:

1. Locate and open the configuration file where the credentials are stored
2. Find the <credentials> element
3. If present, ensure passwordFormat is not set to Clear
4. Change passwordFormatto SHA1

The clear text passwords will need to be replaced with the appropriate hashed version.

Default Value:

The default passwordFormatmethod is SHA1.

References:

1. http://www.iis.net/ConfigReference/system.webServer/management/authenticati
on/credentials
2. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb422401%28VS.90%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

16.14 Encrypt/Hash All Authentication Files And Monitor Their Access

Verify that all authentication files are encrypted or hashed and that these files cannot be
accessed without root or administrator privileges. Audit all access to password files in the
system.

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2.8 Ensure 'credentials' are not stored in configuration files (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

The <credentials> element of the <authentication> element allows optional definitions

of name and password for IIS Manager User accounts within the configuration file. Forms
based authentication also uses these elements to define the users. IIS Manager Users can
use the administration interface to connect to sites and applications in which they've been
granted authorization. Note that the <credentials> element only applies when the default
provider, ConfigurationAuthenticationProvider, is configured as the authentication
provider. It is recommended to avoid storing passwords in the configuration file even in
form of hash.

Rationale:

Authentication credentials should always be protected to reduce the risk of stolen

authentication credentials. For security reasons, it is recommended that user credentials
not be stored an any IIS configuration files.

Audit:

Locate and open the configuration file for the configured application. Verify the
credentials element is not present:

Remediation:

Authentication mode is configurable at the machine.config, root-level web.config, or

application-level web.config:

1. Locate and open the configuration file where the credentials are stored
2. Find the <credentials> element
3. If present, remove the section

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This will remove all references to stored users in the configuration files.

Default Value:

The default passwordFormat method is SHA1.

References:

CIS Controls:

16.14 Encrypt/Hash All Authentication Files And Monitor Their Access

Verify that all authentication files are encrypted or hashed and that these files cannot be
accessed without root or administrator privileges. Audit all access to password files in the
system.

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3 ASP.NET Configuration Recommendations
This section contains recommendations specific to ASP.NET.

3.1 Ensure 'deployment method retail' is set (Scored)

Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

The <deployment retail> switch is intended for use by production IIS servers. This switch
is used to help applications run with the best possible performance and least possible
security information leakages by disabling the application's ability to generate trace output
on a page, disabling the ability to display detailed error messages to end users, and
disabling the debug switch. Often times, switches and options that are developer-focused,
such as failed request tracing and debugging, are enabled during active development. It is
recommended that the deployment method on any production server be set to retail.

Rationale:

Utilizing the switch specifically intended for production IIS servers will eliminate the risk
of vital application and system information leakages that would otherwise occur if tracing
or debug were to be left enabled, or customErrors were to be left off.

Audit:

After the next time IIS is restarted, open the machine.config file and verify that
<deployment retail="true" /> remains set to true.

<system.web>
<deployment retail="true" />
</system.web>

Remediation:

1. Open the machine.config file located in:

%systemroot%\\Microsoft.NET\\Framework<bitness (if not the 32
bit)>\\<framework version>\\CONFIG
2. Add the line <deployment retail="true" /> within the <system.web> section
3. If systems are 64-bit, do the same for the machine.config located in:
%systemroot%\\Microsoft.NET\\Framework<bitness (if not the 32
bit)>\\<framework version>\\CONFIG

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Default Value:

The <deployment retail> tag is not included in the machine.config by default.

References:

1. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/ms228298%28VS.80%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

18.9 Sanitize Deployed Software Of Development Artifacts

For in-house developed applications, ensure that development artifacts (sample data and
scripts; unused libraries, components, debug code; or tools) are not included in the
deployed software, or accessible in the production environment.

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3.2 Ensure 'debug' is turned off (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

Developers often enable the debug mode during active ASP.NET development so that they
do not have to continually clear their browsers cache every time they make a change to a
resource handler. The problem would arise from this being left "on" or set to "true".
Compilation debug output is displayed to the end user, allowing malicious persons to
obtain detailed information about applications.

This is a defense in depth recommendation due to the <deployment retail="true" /> in

the machine.config configuration file overriding any debug settings. It is recommended
that debugging still be turned off.

Rationale:

Setting <compilation debug> to false ensures that detailed error information does not
inadvertently display during live application usage, mitigating the risk of application
information leakage falling into unscrupulous hands.

Audit:

Browse to and open the web.config file pertaining to the server or specific application that
has been configured. Locate the <compilation debug> switch and verify it is set to false.

Remediation:

To use the UI to make this change:

1. Open IIS Manager and navigate desired server, site, or application

2. In Features View, double-click .NET Compilation
3. On the .NET Compilation page, in the Behavior section, ensure the Debug field is set
to False
4. When finished, click Apply in the Actions pane

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Note: The <compilation debug> switch will not be present in the web.config file unless it
has been added manually, or has previously been configured using the IIS Manager GUI.

Default Value:

The compilation of debug binaries is not enabled by default.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc725812%28WS.10%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

18.9 Sanitize Deployed Software Of Development Artifacts

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3.3 Ensure custom error messages are not off (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

When an ASP.NET application fails and causes an HTTP/1.x 500 Internal Server Error, or a
feature configuration (such as Request Filtering) prevents a page from being displayed, an
error message will be generated. Administrators can choose whether or not the application
should display a friendly message to the client, detailed error message to the client, or
detailed error message to localhost only. The <customErrors> tag in the web.config has
three modes:

On: Specifies that custom errors are enabled. If no defaultRedirect attribute is

specified, users see a generic error. The custom errors are shown to the remote
clients and to the local host
Off: Specifies that custom errors are disabled. The detailed ASP.NET errors are
shown to the remote clients and to the local host
RemoteOnly: Specifies that custom errors are shown only to the remote clients, and
that ASP.NET errors are shown to the local host. This is the default value

This is a defense in depth recommendation due to the <deployment retail="true" /> in

the machine.config file overriding any settings for customErrors to be turned Off. It is
recommended that customErrors still be turned to Onor RemoteOnly.

Rationale:

customErrors can be set to Onor RemoteOnly without leaking detailed application

information to the client. Ensuring that customErrors is not set to Offwill help mitigate the
risk of malicious persons learning detailed application error and server configuration
information.

Audit:

Find and open the web.config file for the application/site and verify that the tag has either
<customErrors mode="RemoteOnly" /> or <customErrors mode="On" /> defined.

Remediation:

customErrors may be set for a server, site, or application using the IIS Manager GUI, using
AppCmd.exe commands in a command-line window, directly editing the configuration files,

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or by writing WMI scripts. Perform the following to set the customErrors mode to
RemoteOnly or On for a Web Site in the IIS Manager GUI:

1. Open the IIS Manager GUI and navigate to the site to be configured
2. In Features View, find and double-click .NET Error Pages icon
3. In the Actions Pane, click Edit Feature Settings
4. In modal dialog, choose On or Remote Only for Mode settings
5. Click OK

Default Value:

The default value is <customErrors mode= RemoteOnly />.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd569096%28WS.10%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

18.5 Sanitize Output Of Applications

Do not display system error messages to end-users (output sanitization).

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3.4 Ensure IIS HTTP detailed errors are hidden from displaying remotely
(Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

A Web site's error pages are often set to show detailed error information for
troubleshooting purposes during testing or initial deployment. To prevent unauthorized
users from viewing this privileged information, detailed error pages must not be seen by
remote users. This setting can be modified in the errorMode attribute setting for a Web
site's error pages. By default, the errorMode attribute is set in the Web.config file for the
Web site or application and is located in the <httpErrors> element of the
<system.webServer> section. It is recommended that custom errors be prevented from
displaying remotely.

Rationale:

The information contained in custom error messages can provide clues as to how
applications function, opening up unnecessary attack vectors. Ensuring custom errors are
never displayed remotely can help mitigate the risk of malicious persons obtaining
information as to how the application works.

Audit:

The errorMode attribute is set in the Web.config file for the Web site or application in the
<httpErrors> element of the <system.webServer> section. Browse to the web.config and
verify the errorMode is set to DetailedLocalOnly or Custom:

<system.web>
<system.webServer>
<httpErrors errorMode="DetailedLocalOnly">
</httpErrors>
</system.webServer>
</system.web>

Remediation:

The following describes how to change the errorMode attribute to DetailedLocalOnly or

Custom for a Web site by using IIS Manager:

1. Open IIS Manager with Administrative privileges

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2. In the Connections pane on the left, expand the server, then expand the Sites folder
3. Select the Web site or application to be configured
4. In Features View, select Error Pages, in the Actions pane, select Open Feature
5. In the Actions pane, select Edit Feature Settings
6. In the Edit Error Pages Settings dialog, under Error Responses, select either Custom
error pages or Detailed errors for local requests and custom error pages for remote
requests
7. Click OK and exit the Edit Error Pages Settings dialog

Default Value:

The default errorMode is DetailedLocalOnly.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd391900%28WS.10%29.aspx
2. http://www.iis.net/configreference/system.webserver/httperrors

CIS Controls:

18.5 Sanitize Output Of Applications

Do not display system error messages to end-users (output sanitization).

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3.5 Ensure ASP.NET stack tracing is not enabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

The trace element configures the ASP.NET code tracing service that controls how trace
results are gathered, stored, and displayed. When tracing is enabled, each page request
generates trace messages that can be appended to the page output or stored in an
application trace log.

This is a defense in depth recommendation due to the <deployment retail="true" /> in

the machine.config file overriding any settings for ASP.NET stack tracing that are left on. It
is recommended that ASP.NET stack tracing still be turned off.

Rationale:

In an active Web Site, tracing should not be enabled because it can display sensitive
configuration and detailed stack trace information to anyone who views the pages in the
site. If necessary, the localOnly attribute can be set to true to have trace information
displayed only for localhost requests. Ensuring that ASP.NET stack tracing is not on will
help mitigate the risk of malicious persons learning detailed stack trace information.

Audit:

Tracing is configurable at numerous levels:

1. Machine.config
2. Root-level web.config
3. Application-level web.config
4. Virtual or physical directory-level web.config
5. Individual ASP.Net page level

Verify ASP.NET tracing is not turned on, via a per-page basis in the application.

Ensure the trace attribute is not enabled:

Trace="true"

On an application basis like in the web.config ensure that tracing is not enabled like:

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<trace enabled="true">
</system.web>
</configuration>

Remediation:

1. Ensure <deployment retail="true" />is enabled in the machine.config.

2. Remove all attribute references to ASP.NET tracing by deleting the trace and trace
enable attributes.

Per Page:

Remove any references to:

Trace="true"

Per Application:

Default Value:

The default value for ASP.NET tracing is off.

References:

1. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/94c55d08%28v=vs.100%29.aspx
2. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/0x5wc973%28v=vs.100%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

18.5 Sanitize Output Of Applications

Do not display system error messages to end-users (output sanitization).

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3.6 Ensure 'httpcookie' mode is configured for session state (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

A session cookie associates session information with client information for that session,
which can be the duration of a user's connection to a site. The cookie is passed in a HTTP
header together with all requests between the client and server.

Session information can also be stored in the URL. However, storing session information in
this manner has security implications that can open attack vectors such as session
hijacking. An effective method used to prevent session hijacking attacks is to force web
applications to use cookies to store the session token. This is accomplished by setting the
cookieless attribute of the sessionState node to UseCookies or False which will in turn
keep session state data out of URI. It is recommended that session state be configured to
UseCookies.

Rationale:

Cookies that have been properly configured help mitigate the risk of attacks such as session
hi-jacking attempts by preventing ASP.NET from having to move session information to the
URL; moving session information in URI causes session IDs to show up in proxy logs, and is
accessible to client scripting via document.location.

Audit:

Find and open the web.config file for the application/site and verify that the sessionState
tag is set to use cookies:

<system.web>
<sessionState cookieless="UseCookies" />
</system.web>

Remediation:

SessionState can be set to UseCookies by using the IIS Manager GUI, using AppCmd.exe
commands in a command-line window, directly editing the configuration files, or by writing
WMI scripts. Perform the following to set the cookieless attribute of the sessionState
node to UseCookies in the IIS Manager GUI:

1. Open the IIS Manager GUI and navigate desired server, site, or application

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2. In Features View, find and double-click the Session State icon
3. In the Cookie Settings section, choose Use Cookies from the Mode dropdown
4. In the Actions Pane, click Apply

To use AppCmd.exe to configure sessionState at the server level, the command would look
like this:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /commit:WEBROOT

/section:sessionState /cookieless:UseCookies /cookieName:ASP.NET_SessionID
/timeout:20
When Appcmd.exe is used to configure the <sessionstate> element at the global level in
IIS, the /commit:WEBROOT switch must be included so that configuration changes are made
to the root web.config file instead of ApplicationHost.config.

Default Value:

By default, IIS maintains session state data for a managed code application in the worker
process where the application runs e.g. In Process.

References:

1. http://www.iis.net/learn/application-frameworks/scenario-build-an-aspnet-
website-on-iis/planning-step-2-plan-asp-net-settings
2. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/h6bb9cz9%28VS.71%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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3.7 Ensure 'cookies' are set with HttpOnly attribute (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

The httpOnlyCookies attribute of the httpCookies node determines if IIS will set the
HttpOnly flag on HTTP cookies it sets. The HttpOnly flag indicates to the user agent that the
cookie must not be accessible by client-side script (i.e document.cookie). It is
recommended that the httpOnlyCookies attribute be set to true.

Rationale:

When cookies are set with the HttpOnly flag, they cannot be accessed by client side
scripting running in the user's browser. Preventing client-side scripting from accessing
cookie content may reduce the probability of a cross site scripting attack materializing into
a successful session hijack.

Audit:

After the next time IIS is restarted, browse to and open the web.config for the application
in which httpOnly cookies have been turned on. Confirm the httpOnlyCookiesattribute is
set to true: <httpCookies httpOnlyCookies="true" />.

Remediation:

1. Locate and open the application's web.config file

2. Add the <httpCookies httpOnlyCookies="true" /> tag within <system.web>:

<configuration>
<system.web>
<httpCookies httpOnlyCookies="true" />
</system.web>
</configuration>
Setting the value of the httpOnlyCookies attribute of the httpCookies element to true will
add the HttpOnly flag to all the cookies set by the application. All modern versions of
browsers recognize HttpOnly attribute; older versions will either treat them as normal
cookies or simply ignore them altogether.

Default Value:

By default, ASP.NET 2.0 does not force cookies to httpOnly.

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References:

1. https://tools.ietf.org/wg/httpstate/charters
2. https://www.owasp.org/index.php/HTTPOnly#Browsers_Supporting_HttpOnly
3. https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms533046.aspx

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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3.8 Ensure 'MachineKey validation method - .Net 3.5' is configured
(Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

The machineKey element of the ASP.NET web.config specifies the algorithm and keys that
ASP.NET will use for encryption. The Machine Key feature can be managed to specify
hashing and encryption settings for application services such as view state, Forms
authentication, membership and roles, and anonymous identification.

The following validation methods are available:

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is relatively easy to implement and requires

little memory. AES has a key size of 128, 192, or 256 bits. This method uses the same
private key to encrypt and decrypt data, whereas a public-key method must use a
pair of keys
Message Digest 5 (MD5) is used for digital signing of applications. This method
produces a 128-bit message digest, which is a compressed form of the original data
Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA1) is considered more secure than MD5 because it
produces a 160-bit message digest
Triple Data Encryption Standard (TripleDES) is a minor variation of Data Encryption
Standard (DES). It is three times slower than regular DES but can be more secure
because it has a key size of 192 bits. If performance is not a primary consideration,
consider using TripleDES

It is recommended that AES or SHA1 methods be configured for use at the global level.

Rationale:

Setting the validation property to AES will provide confidentiality and integrity protection
to the viewstate. AES is the strongest encryption algorithm supported by the validation
property. Setting the validation property to SHA1 will provide integrity protection to the
viewstate. SHA1 is the strongest hashing algorithm supported by the validation property.

Audit:

To verify the Machine Key validation method using IIS Manager:

1. Open IIS Manager and navigate to the level that was configured, the WEBROOT, or
server in this case

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2. In the features view, double click Machine Key
3. On the Machine Key page, verify that SHA1 is selected in the validation method
dropdown

Remediation:

Machine key encryption can be set by using the UI, running appcmd.exe commands, by
editing configuration files directly, or by writing WMI scripts. To set the Machine Key
encryption at the global level using an appcmd.exe command:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /commit:WEBROOT

/section:machineKey /validation:SHA1
Note: When Appcmd.exe is used to configure the <machineKey> element at the global level
in IIS, the /commit:WEBROOT switch must be included so that configuration changes are
made to the root web.config file instead of ApplicationHost.config.

Default Value:

The default Machine Key validation method is SHA1.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc772271%28WS.10%29.aspx
2. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc772287%28WS.10%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

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3.9 Ensure 'MachineKey validation method - .Net 4.5' is configured
(Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

The following validation methods are available:

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is relatively easy to implement and requires

It is recommended that SHA-2 methods be configured for use at the global level.

Rationale:

SHA-2 is the strongest hashing algorithm supported by the validation property so it should
be used as the validation method for the MachineKey in .Net 4.5.

Audit:

To verify the Machine Key validation method using IIS Manager:

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1. Open IIS Manager and navigate to the level that was configured, the WEBROOT, or
server in this case
2. In the features view, double click Machine Key
3. On the Machine Key page, verify that HMACSHA256 is selected in the validation
method dropdown

Remediation:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /commit:WEBROOT

/section:machineKey /validation:HMACSHA256
Note: When Appcmd.exe is used to configure the <machineKey> element at the global level
in IIS, the /commit:WEBROOT switch must be included so that configuration changes are
made to the root web.config file instead of ApplicationHost.config.

Default Value:

The default Machine Key validation method is SHA256.

References:

1. http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-8/iis-80-aspnet-
configuration-management

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

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3.10 Ensure global .NET trust level is configured (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

This only applies to .Net 2.0. Future versions have stopped supporting this feature.

An application's trust level determines the permissions that are granted by the ASP.NET
code access security (CAS) policy. CAS defines two trust categories: full trust and partial
trust. An application that has full trust permissions may access all resource types on a
server and perform privileged operations, while applications that run with partial trust
have varying levels of operating permissions and access to resources.

The possible values for the Level property of the TrustSection class are:

Full: Specifies unrestricted permissions and grants the ASP.NET application

permissions to access any resource that is subject to operating system security; all
privileged operations are supported
High: specifies a high level of code access security which limits the application from
doing the following:
o Call unmanaged code
o Call serviced components
o Write to the event log
o Access Microsoft Windows Message Queuing queues
o Access ODBC, OLD DB, or Oracle data sources
Medium: specifies a medium level of code access security, which means that in
addition to the restrictions for High, the ASP.NET application cannot do any of the
following things:
o Access files outside the application directory
o Access the registry
Low: specifies a low level of code access security, which means that in addition to
the restrictions for Medium, the application is prevented from performing any of the
following actions:
o Write to the file system
o Call the System.Security.CodeAccessPermission.Assert method to expand
permissions to resources
o Minimal: specifies a minimal level of code access security, which means that
the application has only execute permission

It is recommended that the global .NET Trust Level be set to Medium or lower.

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Rationale:

The CAS determines the permissions that are granted to the application on the server.
Setting a minimal level of trust that is compatible with the applications will limit the
potential harm that a compromised application could cause to a system.

Audit:

To verify the global .NET Trust Level using IIS Manager:

1. Open IIS Manager and navigate to the level that was configured, the server in this
example
2. In the features view, double click .NET Trust Levels
3. On the .NET Trust Levels page, verify that Medium (web\_mediumtrust.config) is
selected in the Trust Level dropdown

Remediation:

Trust level can be set by using the UI, running appcmd.exe commands, by editing
configuration files directly, or by writing WMI scripts. To set the .Net Trust Level to
Medium at the server level using an appcmd.exe command:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /commit:WEBROOT

/section:trust /level:Medium
When Appcmd.exe is used to configure the element at the global level in IIS, the
/commit:WEBROOT switch must be included so that configuration changes are made to the
root web.config file instead of ApplicationHost.config.

Default Value:

By default, ASP.NET web applications run under the full trust setting.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc772237(WS.10).aspx
2. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms691448%28VS.90%29.aspx
3. Professional IIS 7 by Ken Schaefer, Jeff Cochran, Scott Forsyth, Rob Baugh, Mike
Everest, Dennis Glendenning
4. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2698981

CIS Controls:

14.4 Protect Information With Access Control Lists

All information stored on systems shall be protected with file system, network share,
claims, application, or database specific access control lists. These controls will enforce the

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principal that only authorized individuals should have access to the information based on
their need to access the information as a part of their responsibilities.

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4 Request Filtering and Other Restriction Modules
Introduced in IIS 7.0 for the first time, Request Filtering is a powerful module that provides
a configurable set of rules that enables administrators to allow or reject the types of
requests that they determine should be allowed or rejected at the server, web site, or web
application levels.

Earlier versions of Internet Information Services provided the tool UrlScan, which was
provided as an add-on to enable system administrators to enforce tighter security policies
on their web servers. All of the core features of URLScan have been incorporated into the
Request Filtering module. Due to the close nature of functionality in these two tools,
reference to legacy URLScan settings will be made where applicable.

IIS 8 also introduced modules for Dynamic IP Address Restrictions. This module can be
configured to automatically block web site access based on specific rules.

Note: Request Filtering and IP and Domain Restrictions must be enabled as a role service
under IIS in order to configure any of its features.

4.1 Ensure 'maxAllowedContentLength' is configured (Not Scored)

Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

The maxAllowedContentLength Request Filter is the maximum size of the http request,
measured in bytes, which can be sent from a client to the server. Configuring this value
enables the total request size to be restricted to a configured value. It is recommended that
the overall size of requests be restricted to a maximum value appropriate for the server,
site, or application.

Rationale:

Setting an appropriate value that has been tested for the maxAllowedContentLength filter
will lower the impact an abnormally large request would otherwise have on IIS and/or web
applications. This helps to ensure availability of web content and services, and may also
help mitigate the risk of buffer overflow type attacks in unmanaged components.

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Audit:

Upon exceeding the configured value set for the Request Filter, IIS will throw a Status Code
404.13.

To manually verify the change, locate and open the web.config for the web site or
application in which the request filter was set. Ensure the value defined for
maxAllowedContentLength is what was set. The 28.6MB max example would show:

Remediation:

The MaxAllowedContentLength Request Filter may be set for a server, website, or

application using the IIS Manager GUI, using AppCmd.exe commands in a command-line
window, and/or directly editing the configuration files. To configure using the IIS Manager
GUI:

1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

2. In the Connections pane, click on the server, site, application, or directory to be
configured
3. In the Home pane, double-click Request Filtering
4. Click Edit Feature Settings... in the Actions pane
5. Under the Request Limits section, key the maximum content length in bytes that will
allow applications to retain their intended functionality, such as 30000000 (approx.
28.6 MB)

To set this Request Filter using an AppCmd.exe command, run the following command at an
elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /section:requestfiltering

/requestLimits.maxAllowedContentLength:30000000

Default Value:

When request filtering is installed on a system, the default value is:

maxAllowedContentLength=30000000, which is approximately 28.6MB.

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References:

1. http://www.iis.net/ConfigReference/system.webServer/security/requestFiltering/
requestLimits
2. http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/143/use-request-filtering/

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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4.2 Ensure 'maxURL request filter' is configured (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

The maxURL attribute of the <requestLimits> property is the maximum length (in Bytes) in
which a requested URL can be (excluding query string) in order for IIS to accept.
Configuring this Request Filter enables administrators to restrict the length of the requests
that the server will accept. It is recommended that a limit be put on the length of URL.

Rationale:

With a properly configured Request Filter limiting the amount of data accepted in the URL,
chances of undesired application behaviors affecting the availability of content and services
are reduced.

Audit:

IIS will log a 404.14 HTTP status if the requested URL was rejected because it exceeded the
length defined in the filter.

To manually verify the change, locate and open the web.config for the web site or
application in which the request filter was set. Verify the value defined for maxURL.

Remediation:

The MaxURL Request Filter may be set for a server, website, or application using the IIS
Manager GUI, using AppCmd.exe commands in a command-line window, and/or directly
editing the configuration files. To configure using the IIS Manager GUI:

1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

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2. In the Connections pane, click on the connection, site, application, or directory to be
configured
3. In the Home pane, double-click Request Filtering
4. Click Edit Feature Settings... in the Actions pane
5. Under the Request Limits section, key the maximum URL length in bytes that has
been tested with web applications

To set this Request Filter using an AppCmd.exe command, run the following command at an
elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /section:requestfiltering

/requestLimits.maxURL:4096

Default Value:

When Request Filtering is installed on a system, the default value for maxURL=4096.

References:

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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4.3 Ensure 'MaxQueryString request filter' is configured (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

The MaxQueryString Request Filter describes the upper limit on the length of the query
string that the configured IIS server will allow for websites or applications. It is
recommended that values always be established to limit the amount of data will can be
accepted in the query string.

Rationale:

With a properly configured Request Filter limiting the amount of data accepted in the
query string, chances of undesired application behaviors such as app pool failures are
reduced.

Audit:

If a request is rejected because it exceeds the value set in the maxQueryString Request
Filter, a 404.15 HTTP status is logged to the IIS log file.

To manually verify the change, locate and open the web.config for the web site or
application in which the filter was set. Ensure the value defined for maxQueryString is what
was configured.

Remediation:

The MaxQueryString Request Filter may be set for a server, website, or application using
the IIS Manager GUI, using AppCmd.exe commands in a command-line window, and/or
directly editing the configuration files. To configure using the IIS Manager GUI:

1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

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2. In the Connections pane, go to the connection, site, application, or directory to be
configured
3. In the Home pane, double-click Request Filtering
4. Click Edit Feature Settings... in the Actions pane
5. Under the Request Limits section, key in a safe upper bound in the Maximum query
string (Bytes) textbox

To set this Request Filter using an AppCmd.exe command, run the following command at an
elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /section:requestfiltering

/requestLimits.maxQueryString:2048

Default Value:

When request filtering is installed on a system, the default value is

maxQueryString=2048.

References:

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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4.4 Ensure non-ASCII characters in URLs are not allowed (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

This feature is used to allow or reject all requests to IIS that contain non-ASCII characters.
When using this feature, Request Filtering will deny the request if high-bit characters are
present in the URL. The UrlScan equivalent is AllowHighBitCharacters. It is recommended
that requests containing non-ASCII characters be rejected, where possible.

Rationale:

This feature can help defend against canonicalization attacks, reducing the potential attack
surface of servers, sites, and/or applications.

Audit:

If a request is rejected because it contains a high-bit character, a 404.12 HTTP status is

logged to the IIS log file.

To manually verify the change, locate and open the web.config for the web site or
application in which the request filter was set. Ensure the value defined for the filter is
false, as such:

Remediation:

The AllowHighBitCharacters Request Filter may be set for a server, website, or

application using the IIS Manager GUI, using AppCmd.exe commands in a command-line
window, and/or directly editing the configuration files. To configure using the IIS Manager
GUI:

1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

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2. In the Connections pane, go to the connection, site, application, or directory to be
configured
3. In the Home pane, double-click Request Filtering
4. Click Edit Feature Settings... in the Actions pane
5. Under the General section, uncheck Allow high-bit characters

Note: Disallowing high-bit ASCII characters in the URL may negatively impact the
functionality of sites requiring international language support.

To set this Request Filter using an AppCmd.exe command, run the following command at an
elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /section:requestfiltering

/allowHighBitCharacters:false

Default Value:

When Request Filtering is installed on a system, the default behavior is to allow high-bit
characters in URI.

References:

1. http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/143/use-request-filtering/
2. http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/936/urlscan-1-reference/
3. Professional IIS 7 by Ken Schaefer, Jeff Cochran, Scott Forsyth, Rob Baugh, Mike
Everest, Dennis Glendenning

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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4.5 Ensure Double-Encoded requests will be rejected (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

This Request Filter feature prevents attacks that rely on double-encoded requests and
applies if an attacker submits a double-encoded request to IIS. When the double-encoded
requests filter is enabled, IIS will go through a two iteration process of normalizing the
request. If the first normalization differs from the second, the request is rejected and the
error code is logged as a 404.11. The double-encoded requests filter was the
VerifyNormalization option in UrlScan. It is recommended that double-encoded requests
be rejected.

Rationale:

This feature will help prevent attacks that rely on URLs that have been crafted to contain
double-encoded request(s).

Audit:

If a request is rejected because it contains a double-encoded request, a 404.11 HTTP status

is logged to the IIS log file.

To manually verify the change, locate and open the web.config for the web site or
application in which the request filter was set. Ensure the value defined for
allowDoubleEscaping is false:

Remediation:

The allowDoubleEscaping Request Filter may be set for a server, website, or application
using the IIS Manager GUI, using AppCmd.exe commands in a command-line window,
and/or directly editing the configuration files. To configure using the IIS Manager GUI:

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1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager
2. In the Connections pane, select the site, application, or directory to be configured
3. In the Home pane, double-click Request Filtering
4. Click Edit Feature Settings... in the Actions pane
5. Under the General section, uncheck Allow double escaping

If a file name in a URL includes "+" then allowDoubleEscaping must be set to true to allow
functionality.

To set this Request Filter using an AppCmd.exe command, run the following command at an
elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /section:requestfiltering

/allowDoubleEscaping:false

Default Value:

When Request Filtering is installed on a system, the default behavior is to not allow double-
encoded requests.

References:

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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4.6 Ensure 'HTTP Trace Method' is disabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

The HTTP TRACE method returns the contents of client HTTP requests in the entity-body
of the TRACE response. Attackers could leverage this behavior to access sensitive
information, such as authentication data or cookies, contained in the HTTP headers of the
request. One such way to mitigate this is by using the <verbs> element of the
<requestFiltering> collection. The <verbs> element replaces the [AllowVerbs] and
[DenyVerbs] features in UrlScan. It is recommended the HTTP TRACE method be denied.

Rationale:

Attackers may abuse HTTP TRACE functionality to gain access to information in HTTP
headers such as cookies and authentication data. This risk can be mitigated by not allowing
the TRACE verb.

Audit:

IIS will return an HTTP 404.6 error to the client when Request Filtering blocks an HTTP
request because of a denied HTTP verb. To manually verify the change, browse to the
web.config file for which the change was made and verify the below configuration:

Remediation:

1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

2. In the Connections pane, select the site, application, or directory to be configured
3. In the Home pane, double-click Request Filtering
4. In the Request Filtering pane, click the HTTP verbs tab, and then click Deny Verb... in
the Actions pane

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5. In the Deny Verb dialog box, enter the TRACE, and then click OK

To set this Request Filter using an AppCmd.exe command, run the following command at an
elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /section:requestfiltering

/+verbs.[verb='TRACE',allowed='false']

Default Value:

The TRACE verb is not filtered by default.

References:

1. http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/867593
2. http://www.iis.net/ConfigReference/system.webServer/security/requestFiltering/
verbs

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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4.7 Ensure Unlisted File Extensions are not allowed (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

The FileExtensions Request Filter allows administrators to define specific extensions

their web server(s) will allow and disallow. The property allowUnlisted will cover all
other file extensions not explicitly allowed or denied. Often times, extensions such as
.config, .bat, .exe, to name a few, should never be served. The AllowExtensions and
DenyExtensions options are the UrlScan equivalents. It is recommended that all extensions
be unallowed at the most global level possible, with only those necessary being allowed.

Rationale:

Disallowing all but the necessary file extensions can greatly reduce the attack surface of
applications and servers.

Audit:

When IIS rejects a request based on a file extensions filter, the error code logged is 404.7.

To manually verify the change, locate and open the web.config for the web site or
application in which the Request Filter was set. Ensure <fileExtensions
allowUnlisted="false">. The following web.config will disallow any requests for files
that do not have .asp, .aspx, or .html as their extension:

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Remediation:

The allowUnlisted Request Filter may be set for a server, website, or application using the
IIS Manager GUI, using AppCmd.exe commands in a command-line window, and/or directly
editing the configuration files. To configure at the server level using the IIS Manager GUI:

1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

2. In the Connections pane, select the server
3. In the Home pane, double-click Request Filtering
4. Click Edit Feature Settings... in the Actions pane
5. Under the General section, uncheck Allow unlisted file name extensions

To set this Request Filter using an AppCmd.exe command, run the following command at an
elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /section:requestfiltering

/fileExtensions.allowunlisted:false

Default Value:

The default Request Filtering configuration allows all unlisted file extensions to be
requested.

References:

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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4.8 Ensure Handler is not granted Write and Script/Execute (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

Handler mappings can be configured to give permissions to Read, Write, Script, or Execute
depending on what the use is for - reading static content, uploading files, executing scripts,
etc. It is recommended to grant a handler either Execute/``Script or Write permissions,
but not both.

Rationale:

By allowing both Execute/_Script_ and Write permissions, a handler can run malicious
code on the target server. Ensuring these two permissions are never together will help
lower the risk of malicious code being executed on the server.

Audit:

Open the ApplicationHost.config file in %systemroot%\\system32\\inetsrv\\config.

Find the <handlers> section and verify that the accessPolicy attribute does not contain
Write when Script or Execute are present. The following is an acceptable example:

<system.webserver>
<handlers accessPolicy="Read, Script">
</handlers>
</system.webserver>

Remediation:

The accessPolicy attribute in the <handlers> section of either the

ApplicationHost.config (server-wide) or web.config (site or application) must not have
Write present when Script or Execute are present. To resolve this issue for a Web server,
the attribute in the <handlers> section of the ApplicationHost.config file for the server
must manually be edited. To edit the ApplicationHost.config file by using Notepad, perform
the following steps:

1. Open Notepad as Administrator

2. Open the ApplicationHost.config file in
%systemroot%\\system32\\inetsrv\\config
3. Edit the <handlers> section accessPolicy attribute so that Write is not present
when Script or Execute are present

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To set this Request Filter using an AppCmd.exe command, run the following command at an
elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config /section:handlers

/accessPolicy:Read,Script
Note: This configuration change cannot be made by using IIS Manager.

Default Value:

The default handlers accessPolicy is Read, Script.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd391910%28WS.10%29.aspx
2. http://blogs.iis.net/thomad/archive/2006/11/05/quo-vadis-accessflags.aspx

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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4.9 Ensure 'notListedIsapisAllowed' is set to false (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

The notListedIsapisAllowed attribute is a server-level setting that is located in the

ApplicationHost.config file in the <isapiCgiRestriction> element of the
<system.webServer> section under <security>. This element ensures that malicious users
cannot copy unauthorized ISAPI binaries to the Web server and then run them. It is
recommended that notListedIsapisAllowed be set to false.

Rationale:

Restricting this attribute to falsewill help prevent potentially malicious ISAPI extensions
from being run.

Audit:

Open the applicationHost.config file in %systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\config. Verify

that the notListedIsapisAllowed attribute in the <isapiCgiRestriction> element is set
to false:

<system.webServer>
<security>
<isapiCgiRestriction notListedIsapisAllowed="false">
</isapiCgiRestriction>
</security>
</system.webServer>

Remediation:

To use IIS Manager to set the notListedIsapisAllowed attribute to false:

1. Open IIS Manager as Administrator

2. In the Connections pane on the left, select server to be configured
3. In Features View, select ISAPI and CGI Restrictions; in the Actions pane, select Open
Feature
4. In the Actions pane, select Edit Feature Settings
5. In the Edit ISAPI and CGI Restrictions Settings dialog, clear the Allow unspecified
ISAPI modules check box, if checked
6. Click OK

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To set this Request Filter using an AppCmd.exe command, run the following command at an
elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe set config -

section:system.webServer/security/isapiCgiRestriction
/notListedIsapisAllowed:false

Default Value:

The default value for notListedIsapisAllowed is false.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd378846%28WS.10%29.aspx
2. http://www.iis.net/ConfigReference/system.webServer/security/isapiCgiRestrictio
n

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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4.10 Ensure 'notListedCgisAllowed' is set to false (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

The notListedCgisAllowed attribute is a server-level setting that is located in the

ApplicationHost.config file in the <isapiCgiRestriction> element of the
<system.webServer> section under <security>. This element ensures that malicious users
cannot copy unauthorized CGI binaries to the Web server and then run them. It is
recommended that notListedCgisAllowed be set to false.

Rationale:

Restricting this attribute to false will help prevent unlisted CGI extensions, including
potentially malicious CGI scripts from being run.

Audit:

Browse to and open the applicationHost.config file and verify that the
notListedCgisAllowed attribute in the <isapiCgiRestriction> element is set to false:

<system.webServer>
<security>
<isapiCgiRestriction notListedCgisAllowed="false">
</isapiCgiRestriction>
</security>
</system.webServer>

Remediation:

To set the notListedCgisAllowed attribute to false using IIS Manager:

1. Open IIS Manager as Administrator

2. In the Connections pane on the left, select the server to configure
3. In Features View, select ISAPI and CGI Restrictions; in the Actions pane, select Open
Feature
4. In the Actions pane, select Edit Feature Settings
5. In the Edit ISAPI and CGI Restrictions Settings dialog, clear the Allow unspecified
CGI modules check box
6. Click OK

To set this Request Filter using an AppCmd.exe command, run the following command at an
elevated command prompt:
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%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe set config -
section:system.webServer/security/isapiCgiRestriction
/notListedCgisAllowed:false

Default Value:

The default value for notListedCgisAllowed is false.

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd391919%28WS.10%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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4.11 Ensure 'Dynamic IP Address Restrictions' is enabled (Not Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

IIS Dynamic IP Address Restrictions capability can be used to thwart DDos attacks. This is
complimentary to the IP Addresses and Domain names Restrictions lists that can be
manually maintained within IIS. In contrast, Dynamic IP address filtering allows
administrators to configure the server to block access for IPs that exceed the specified
request threshold. The default action Deny action for restrictions is to return a Forbidden
response to the client.

Rationale:

Dynamic IP address filtering allows administrators to configure the server to block access
for IPs that exceed the specified number of requests or requests frequency. Ensure that you
receive the Forbidden page once the block has been enforced.

Audit:

Access the web server enough times to trigger the IP restriction based on the settings
entered.

Remediation:

1. Open IIS Manager.

2. Open the IP Address and Domain Restrictions feature.
3. Click Edit Dynamic Restrictions Settings..
4. Check the Deny IP Address based on the number of concurrent requests and the
Deny IP Address based on the number of requests over a period of time boxes. The
values can be tweaked as needed for your specific environment.

Default Value:

By default Dynamic IP Restrictions are not enabled.

References:

1. http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-8/iis-80-dynamic-ip-
address-restrictions

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CIS Controls:

9.6 Deploy And Configure Application Firewalls

Place application firewalls in front of any critical servers to verify and validate the traffic
going to the server. Any unauthorized services or traffic should be blocked and an alert
generated.

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5 IIS Logging Recommendations
This section contains recommendations regarding IIS logging that have not been covered in
the Basic Configurations section.

5.1 Ensure Default IIS web log location is moved (Scored)

Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

IIS will log relatively detailed information on every request. These logs are usually the first
item looked at in a security response, and can be the most valuable. Malicious users are
aware of this, and will often try to remove evidence of their activities. It is therefore
recommended that the default location for IIS log files be changed to a restricted, non-
system drive.

Rationale:

Moving IIS logging to a restricted, non-system drive will help mitigate the risk of logs being
maliciously altered, removed, or lost in the event of system drive failure(s).

Audit:

To verify web logs are being logged to the new location, open Windows Explorer and
browse to the path that was defined. Depending on how the logging was configured, there
will be either:

1. A folder containing .log files or

2. .log files in the root of the specified directory

Remediation:

Moving the default log location can be easily accomplished using the Logging feature in the
IIS Management UI or AppCmd.exe. To change to D:\LogFiles using AppCmd.exe:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set config -section:sites -

siteDefaults.logfile.directory:"D:\LogFiles"
Moving log file stores to a non-system drive or partition separate from where web
applications run and/or content is served is preferred. Additionally, folder-level NTFS
permissions should be set as restrictive as possible; Administrators and SYSTEM are
typically the only principals requiring access.

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While standard IIS logs can be moved and edited using IIS Manager, additional
management tool add-ons are required in order to manage logs generated by other IIS
features, such as Request Filtering and IIS Advanced Logging. These add-ons can be
obtained using the Web Platform Installer or from Microsoft's site. The HTTPErr logging
location can be changed by adding a registry key.

Default Value:

The default location for web logs in IIS is: %SystemDrive%\inetpub\logs\LogFiles.

References:

1. https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc770709(v=ws.10).aspx?

CIS Controls:

6.3 Ensure Audit Logging Systems Are Not Subject To Loss (i.e. rotation/archive)
Ensure that all systems that store logs have adequate storage space for the logs generated
on a regular basis, so that log files will not fill up between log rotation intervals. The logs
must be archived and digitally signed on a periodic basis.

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5.2 Ensure Advanced IIS logging is enabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

IIS Advanced Logging is a module which provides flexibility in logging requests and client
data. It provides controls that allow businesses to specify what fields are important, easily
add additional fields, and provide policies pertaining to log file rollover and Request
Filtering. HTTP request/response headers, server variables, and client-side fields can be
easily logged with minor configuration in the IIS management console. It is recommended
that Advanced Logging be enabled, and the fields which could be of value to the type of
business or application in the event of a security incident, be identified and logged.

Rationale:

Many of the fields available in Advanced Logging many can provide extensive, real-time
data and details not otherwise obtainable. Developers and security professionals can use
this information to identify and remediate application vulnerabilities/attack patterns.

Audit:

Browse to the location of the Advanced Logs and verify .log files are being generated. Note
that logs will be written to disk after a non-determined period of time. They can be written
into their specified directory immediately if, in the Log Definition, the Publish real-time
events and Write to disk options are selected.

Remediation:

IIS Advanced Logging can be configured for servers, Web sites, and directories in IIS
Manager. To enable Advanced Logging using the UI:

1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

2. Click the server in the Connections pane
3. Double-click the Logging icon on the Home page
4. Click Select Fields

The fields that will be logged need to be configured using the Add or Edit Fields button.

Note: There may be performance considerations depending on the extent of the

configuration. Advanced logging requires installation using Web Platform Installer or
manually form the download link in the References section.

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Default Value:

IIS Advanced Logging is not enabled by default.

References:

1. https://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-85/enhanced-logging-for-
iis85

CIS Controls:

6.2 Ensure Audit Log Settings Support Appropriate Log Entry Formatting
Validate audit log settings for each hardware device and the software installed on it,
ensuring that logs include a date, timestamp, source addresses, destination addresses, and
various other useful elements of each packet and/or transaction. Systems should record
logs in a standardized format such as syslog entries or those outlined by the Common Event
Expression initiative. If systems cannot generate logs in a standardized format, log
normalization tools can be deployed to convert logs into such a format.

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5.3 Ensure 'ETW Logging' is enabled (Not Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

IIS introduces a new logging method. Administrators can now send logging information to
Event Tracing for Windows (ETW)

Rationale:

IIS flushes log information to disk, therefore prior to IIS, administrators do not have access
to real-time logging information. Text-based log files can also be difficult and time
consuming to process. By enabling ETW, administrators have access to use standard query
tools for viewing real-time logging information.

Audit:

Using Message Analyzer, configure the query for Microsoft-Windows-IIS-Logging. Verify

you see live logging data by accessing the website.

Remediation:

To configure ETW logging:

1. Open IIS Manager

2. Select the server or site to enable ETW
3. Select Logging.
4. Ensure Log file format is W3C.
5. Select Both log file and ETW event
6. Save your settings.

References:

1. http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-85/logging-to-etw-in-iis-85
2. http://blogs.technet.com/b/erezs_iis_blog/archive/2013/07/15/hook-me-up.aspx
3. https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/dcook/2015/09/30/etw-overview/
4. https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/a1aa1350-41a0-4490-9ae3-
9b4520aeb9d4/faq-common-questions-for-etw-and-windows-event-
log?forum=etw

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CIS Controls:

6.6 Deploy A SIEM OR Log Analysis Tools For Aggregation And Correlation/Analysis
Deploy a SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) or log analytic tools for log
aggregation and consolidation from multiple machines and for log correlation and analysis.
Using the SIEM tool, system administrators and security personnel should devise profiles of
common events from given systems so that they can tune detection to focus on unusual
activity, avoid false positives, more rapidly identify anomalies, and prevent overwhelming
analysts with insignificant alerts.

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6 FTP Requests
This section contains a crucial configuration setting for running file transfer protocol (FTP).

6.1 Ensure FTP requests are encrypted (Scored)

Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

The new FTP Publishing Service for IIS supports adding an SSL certificate to an FTP site.
Using an SSL certificate with an FTP site is also known as FTP-S or FTP over Secure Socket
Layers (SSL). FTP-S is an RFC standard (RFC 4217) where an SSL certificate is added to an
FTP site and thereby making it possible to perform secure file transfers.

Rationale:

By using SSL, the FTP transmission is encrypted and secured from point to point and all
FTP traffic as well as credentials are thereby guarded against interception.

Audit:

The FTP site will now require the use of FTP-S; test this by attempting to use an FTP client
which either does not support FTP-S or is not configured to use FTP-S. If setup was
successful, the request will fail. Conversely, open a command prompt from the server and
type ftp localhost. After entering credentials, the server should return an Access is
Denied message.

Remediation:

To secure an existing FTP site using a SSL Certificate, a certificate must first be installed on
the system. Production systems should always use a third party certificate from a trusted
root, such as VeriSign. Once that certificate is installed for use in IIS, follow the steps below
to configure the FTP site for SSL:

1. Open IIS Manager, select the FTP server and choose FTP SSL Settings in the Features
View pane
2. Under the SSL Certificate dropdown, choose the X.509 certificate to be configured
for use
3. In the SSL Policy section, click the radio button next to Require SSL connections; it is
important to require SSL, because allow SSL still permits non-SSL FTP
4. Click Apply in the Actions pane
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Default Value:

By default, FTP sites are not SSL enabled.

References:

1. http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/IIS-FTP-Publishing-
Service-Part3.html
2. http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/304/using-ftp-over-ssl/#03
3. https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4217

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

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6.2 Ensure FTP Logon attempt restrictions is enabled (Not Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

IIS introduced a built-in network security feature to automatically block brute force FTP
attacks. This can be used to mitigate a malicious client from attempting a brute-force attack
on a discovered account, such as the local administrator account.

Rationale:

Successful brute force FTP attacks can allow an otherwise unauthorized user to make
changes to data that should not be made. This could allow the unauthorized user to modify
website code by uploading malicious software or even changing functionality for items
such as online payments.

Audit:

Access your FTP server using the administrator account and an invalid password. Verify
after the maximum number of login attempts has been met that you receive a message
'Connection closed by remote host' when trying to access FTP.

Remediation:

1. Open IIS Manager

2. At the server level, open the FTP Logon Attempt Restrictions feature.
3. Check Enable FTP Logon Attempt Restrictions and enter the maximum number of
failed attempts and the time period. Enable Deny IP addresses based on the number
of failed login attempts.
4. Click Apply

Default Value:

By default, this feature is not enabled when FTP is installed.

References:

1. http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-8/iis-80-ftp-logon-attempt-
restrictions

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CIS Controls:

16.7 Configure Account Lockouts

Use and configure account lockouts such that after a set number of failed login attempts the
account is locked for a standard period of time.

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7 Transport Encryption
This section contains recommendations for configuring IIS protocols and cipher suites.

For security protocols (SSL, TLS), there are 2 registry paths that control a protocol state in
the O/S: TLS client and TLS server. A web server normally acts as the TLS server in that it is
serving web content to clients. There are some instances where a web server is configured
as a 'client'. An example of a server acting as a client can be seen when there is dynamic
content generation. The webserver queries a database to return content specific to a user's
request. In this configuration, the web server is acting as a TLS client. In cases such as
these, the configured TLS server protocol and cipher suite preferences take precedence
over the clients. This behavior is why for the IIS benchmark we require specific protocol
settings for a TLS server and only recommend settings for TLS clients.

If SSLv3 registry keys are not set, the O/S defaults take precedence.

For example, to disable SSLv3 protocol on the TLS server, you need to set the following
registry key to 0:
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\SS
L 3.0\Server\Enabled

To prevent a client from issuing the Hello command over that legacy protocol the following
registry must be set to 0:
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\SS
L 3.0\Client\Enabled

The fact that the key is named Enabled can be confusing. The setting of the value to either 0
or 1 actually sets the state of the protocol. 0 being disabled and 1 being enabled.

Here are some specifics into how "Enabled" and "DisabledByDefault registry settings
work. The following article, How to restrict the use of certain cryptographic algorithms and
protocols in Schannel.dll, provides additional information related to controlling these
protocols and ciphers.

Using the Enabled = 0 registry setting disables the protocol in a way that cant be
overridden by application settings. This is the only robust way to prevent the protocol from
being used and no additional settings are required. At the same time, using the
DisabledByDefault registry setting only prevents that protocol from issuing the Hello
command over that protocol when an SSL connection with a server is initiated. This O/S
level setting can be overwritten by an application which has application specific TLS
coding. An example of this can be shown by setting the protocol within a line of code in
your .Net 4.5 application: ServicePointManager.SecurityProtocol =
SecurityProtocolType.Tls12. This can override the O/S setting if the DisabledByDefault key

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is present. DisabledByDefault is useful in the case when you want to have some control
over the system settings but also allow an application to explicitly specify the protocols
they would like to use.

Enabled only works strongly in the negative case (Enabled = 0). If Enabled=1 or is not
set, then DisabledByDefault will override in the case where the application takes the
system defaults. Enabled=1 is also overridden by application specific protocol flags.

7.1 Ensure HSTS Header is set (Not Scored)

Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) allows a site to inform the user agent to
communicate with the site only over HTTPS. This header takes two parameters: max-age,
"specifies the number of seconds, after the reception of the STS header field, during which
the user agent regards the host (from whom the message was received) as a Known HSTS
Host [speaks only HTTPS]"; and includeSubDomains. includeSubDomains is an optional
directive that defines how this policy is applied to subdomains. If includeSubDomains is
included in the header, it provides the following definition: this HSTS Policy also applies to
any hosts whose domain names are subdomains of the Known HSTS Host's domain name.

Rationale:

HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) is a simple and widely supported standard to
protect visitors by ensuring that their browsers always connect to a website over HTTPS.
HSTS exists to remove the need for the common, insecure practice of redirecting users
from http:// to https:// URLs. HSTS relies on the User Agent/Browser to enforce the
required behavior. All major browsers support it. If the browser doesn't support HSTS, it
will be ignored.

When a browser knows that a domain has enabled HSTS, it does two things:

1. Always uses an https:// connection, even when clicking on an http:// link or after
typing a domain into the location bar without specifying a protocol.
2. Removes the ability for users to click through warnings about invalid certificates.

A domain instructs browsers that it has enabled HSTS by returning an HTTP header over
an HTTPS connection.

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Audit:

The recommended max age is 8 minutes (480 seconds) or greater. Any value greater than 0
is acceptable. Perform the following in IIS Manager to view host headers configured for the
server:

1. Open IIS Manager

2. In the Connections pane, select your server
3. In the Features View pane, double click HTTP Response Headers
4. Verify an entry exists named Strict-Transport-Security
5. Double click Strict-Transport-Security and verify the Value: box contains any value
greater than 0
6. Click OK.

Perform the following in IIS Manager to view host headers configured for the Website:

1. Open IIS Manager

2. In the Connections pane, expand the tree and select Website
3. In the Features View pane, double click HTTP Response Headers
4. Verify an entry exists name Strict-Transport-Security
5. Double click Strict-Transport-Security and verify the Value: box contains any value
greater than 0
6. Click OK.

Remediation:

Any value greater than 0 meets this recommendation. The examples below are specific to 8
minutes but can be adjusted to meet your requirements.

To set the HTTP Header at the server level using an AppCmd.exe command, run the
following command from an elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe set config -

section:system.webServer/httpProtocol /+"customHeaders.[name='Strict-
Transport-Security',value='max-age=480']"

To set the HTTP Header and include subdomains at the server level using an AppCmd.exe
command, run the following command from an elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe set config -

section:system.webServer/httpProtocol /+"customHeaders.[name='Strict-
Transport-Security',value='max-age=480; includeSubDomains']"

To set the HTTP Header at the Website level using an AppCmd.exe command, run the
following command from an elevated command prompt:

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%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe set config -
section:system.webServer/httpProtocol /+"customHeaders.[name='Strict-
Transport-Security',value='max-age=480']"

To set the HTTP Header and include subdomains at the Website level using an AppCmd.exe
command, run the following command from an elevated command prompt:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe set config "Website" -

section:system.webServer/httpProtocol /+"customHeaders.[name='Strict-
Transport-Security',value='max-age=480; includeSubDomains']"

References:

1. http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6797#section-5.1
2. https://https.cio.gov/hsts/
3. https://www.iis.net/configreference/system.webserver/httpprotocol/customhead
ers#006

CIS Controls:

18 Application Software Security

Application Software Security

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7.2 Ensure SSLv2 is disabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

This protocol is not considered cryptographically secure. Disabling it is recommended. This

protocol is disabled by default if the registry key is not present. A reboot is required for
these changes to be reflected.

Rationale:

Disabling weak protocols will help ensure the confidentiality and integrity of in-transit
data.

Audit:

Perform the following to verify SSL 2.0 is disabled.

1. If the following key is not present, SSL 2.0 is disabled.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\SS
L 2.0

2. Ensure the following key is set to 0.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\SS
L 2.0\Server\Enabled

Remediation:

Perform the following to disable SSL 2.0:

1. If the following key is not present, SSL 2.0 is disabled. You can delete the key to
disable the protocol. If you delete the key, steps 2 and 3 are not necessary.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\SS
L 2.0

2. If the key exists, set it to 0.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\SS
L 2.0\Server\Enabled

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Default Value:

Enabled

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786419.aspx
2. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786433.aspx
3. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa374757%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
4. https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Testing_for_SSL-TLS_%28OWASP-CM-001%29

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

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7.3 Ensure SSLv3 is disabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

This protocol is not considered cryptographically secure. Disabling it is recommended.

Rationale:

Disabling weak protocols will help ensure the confidentiality and integrity of in-transit
data.

Audit:

Perform the following to verify SSL 3.0 is disabled:

1. Ensure the following key is set to 0.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\SS
L 3.0\Server\Enabled

Remediation:

Perform the following to disable SSL 3.0:

1. Set the following keyto 0.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\SS
L 3.0\Server\Enabled

Default Value:

Enabled

References:

1. https://www.openssl.org/~bodo/ssl-poodle.pdf
2. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786419.aspx
3. https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Testing_for_SSL-TLS_%28OWASP-CM-001%29
4. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786433.aspx
5. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa374757%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

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CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

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7.4 Ensure TLS 1.0 is disabled (Not Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

The PCI Data Security Standard 3.1 recommends disabling "early TLS" along with SSL:

SSL and early TLS are not considered strong cryptography and cannot be used as a security
control after June 30, 2016.

Rationale:

This item is Not Scored for the following reasons:

Enabling TLS 1.2 is recommended.

These protocols do not suffer from known practical attacks.

Audit:

Review the following registry locations to verify that TLS 1.0 is configured as expected.
Disabled settings - Enabled to 0.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TL
S 1.0\Server\Enabled

Remediation:

Set the following registry locations to configure TLS 1.0. To disable, set Enabled to 0.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TL
S 1.0\Server\Enabled

References:

1. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa374757%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
2. https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Testing_for_SSL-TLS_%28OWASP-CM-001%29
3. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786419.aspx
4. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786433.aspx

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be

101 | P a g e
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

102 | P a g e
7.5 Ensure TLS 1.1 is enabled (Not Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

Enabling TLS 1.1 is required for backward compatibility.

Rationale:

This item is Not Scored for the following reasons:

Enabling TLS 1.2 is recommended.

This protocol does not suffer from known practical attacks.

Audit:

Review the following registry locations to verify that TLS 1.1 is enabled. Enabled settings:
Enabled to 1.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TL
S 1.1\Server\Enabled

Remediation:

Set the following registry locations to enable TLS 1.1. Set Enabled to 1.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TL
S 1.1\Server\Enabled

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786433.aspx
2. https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Testing_for_SSL-TLS_%28OWASP-CM-001%29
3. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786419.aspx
4. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa374757%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

103 | P a g e
7.6 Ensure TLS 1.2 is enabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

TLS 1.2 is the most recent and mature protocol for protecting the confidentiality and
integrity of HTTP traffic. Enabling TLS 1.2 is recommended. This protocol is enabled by
default if the registry key is not present. As with any registry changes, a reboot is required
for changes to take effect.

Rationale:

Enabling this protocol will help ensure the confidentiality and integrity of data in transit.

Audit:

Perform the following to verify TLS 1.2 has been enabled:

1. Ensure the following key is not present. If it is present, see step 2.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TL
S 1.2\

2. Ensure the following key is set to 0xFFFFFFFF

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TL
S 1.2\Server\Enabled

Remediation:

Perform the following to enable TLS 1.2:

1. Check to see if the following key exists. If it doesn't, TLS 1.2 is enabled by default. If
it does, you can delete it or follow step 2.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TL
S 1.2\

2. If the key exists, set the following key to 0xFFFFFFFF

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TL
S 1.2\Server\Enabled

104 | P a g e
References:

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

105 | P a g e
7.7 Ensure NULL Cipher Suites is disabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

The NULL cipher does not provide data confidentiality or integrity. It is recommended that
the NULL cipher be disabled.

Rationale:

By disabling the NULL cipher, there is a better chance of maintaining data confidentiality
and integrity.

Audit:

To verify the NULL cipher has been disabled, ensure the following key does not exist or is
set to 0:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\NULL
\Enabled

Remediation:

To disable the NULL cipher, ensure the following key is absent. If the key is present, ensure
it is set to 0.

HKLM
System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\NULL\Enab
led

References:

1. https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Testing_for_SSL-TLS_%28OWASP-CM-001%29
2. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786419.aspx
3. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786433.aspx
4. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa374757%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

106 | P a g e
7.8 Ensure DES Cipher Suites is disabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

DES is a weak symmetric-key cipher. It is recommended that it be disabled.

Rationale:

By disabling DES, there is a better chance of maintaining data confidentiality and integrity.

Audit:

To verify the DES 56/56 cipher has been disabled, ensure the following key does not exist
or is set to 0:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\DES
56/56

Remediation:

To disable DES 56/56, ensure the following key is absent. If the key is present, ensure it is
set to 0.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\DES
56/56\Enabled

References:

1. https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Testing_for_SSL-TLS_%28OWASP-CM-001%29
2. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786433.aspx
3. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786419.aspx
4. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa374757%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

107 | P a g e
7.9 Ensure RC4 Cipher Suites is disabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

RC4 is a stream cipher that has known practical attacks. It is recommended that RC4 be
disabled. The only RC4 cipher enabled by default on Server 2012 and 2012 R2 is RC4
128/128.

Rationale:

The use of RC4 may increase an adversaries ability to read sensitive information sent over
SSL/TLS.

Audit:

To verify the RC4 40/128 cipher has been disabled, ensure the following key does not exist
or is set to 0:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC4
40/128\Enabled

To verify the RC4 56/128 cipher has been disabled, ensure the following key does not exist
or is set to 0:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC4
56/128\Enabled

To verify the RC4 64/128 cipher has been disabled, ensure the following key does not exist
or is set to 0:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC4
64/128\Enabled

To verify the RC4 128/128 cipher has been disabled, ensure the following key is set to 0:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC4
128/128\Enabled

Remediation:

To disable RC4 40/128, ensure the following key is absent. If the key is present, ensure it is
set to 0.

108 | P a g e
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC4
40/128\Enabled

To disable RC4 56/128, ensure the following key is absent. If the key is present, ensure it is
set to 0.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC4
56/128\Enabled

To disable RC4 64/128, ensure the following key is absent. If the key is present, ensure it is
set to 0.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC4
64/128\Enabled

To disable RC4 128/128, ensure the following key is set to 0.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\RC4
128/128\Enabled

References:

1. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa374757%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
2. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786433.aspx
3. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786419.aspx
4. https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Testing_for_SSL-TLS_%28OWASP-CM-001%29

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

109 | P a g e
7.10 Ensure Triple DES Cipher Suite is Disabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

Triple DES Cipher Suites is now considered a weak cipher and is not recommended for use.

Rationale:

This item is Not Scored for the following reasons:

Enabling AES 256/256 is recommended.

This cipher does not suffer from known practical attacks.

Audit:

To verify the Triple DES 168/168 cipher has been disabled, ensure the following key is set
to 00000000:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\Trip
le DES 168/168\Enabled

Remediation:

To disable Triple DES 168/168, ensure the following key is set to 00000000.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\Trip
le DES 168/168\Enabled

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

110 | P a g e
7.11 Ensure AES 128/128 Cipher Suite is configured (Not Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

Enabling AES 128/128 may be required for client compatibility. Enable or disable this
cipher suite accordingly.

Rationale:

This item is Not Scored for the following reasons:

Enabling AES 256/256 is recommended.

This cipher does not suffer from known practical attacks.

Audit:

To verify the AES 128/128 cipher has been enabled, ensure the following key is set to
0xFFFFFFF:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\AES
128/128\Enabled

Remediation:

To enable the AES 128/128 cipher, ensure the following key is set to 0xFFFFFFFF:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\AES
128/128\Enabled

References:

1. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786419.aspx
2. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa374757%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
3. https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Testing_for_SSL-TLS_%28OWASP-CM-001%29
4. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn786433.aspx

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

111 | P a g e
7.12 Ensure AES 256/256 Cipher Suite is enabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 1 - IIS 10

Description:

AES 256/256 is the most recent and mature cipher suite for protecting the confidentiality
and integrity of HTTP traffic. Enabling AES 256/256 is recommended. This is enabled by
default on Server 2012 and 2012 R2.

Rationale:

Enabling this cipher will help ensure the confidentiality and integrity of data in transit.

Audit:

To verify the AES 256/256 cipher has been enabled:

1. Ensure that the following key does not exist. If it does exist, you can either delete the
key or proceed to step 2.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\AES
256/256\

2. If the following key exists, ensure the following is set to 0xFFFFFFFF:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\AES
256/256\Enabled

Remediation:

To enable the AES 256/256 cipher:

1. Ensure that the following key does not exist. If it does exist, you can either delete the
key or proceed to step 2.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\AES
256/256\

2. If the key exists, ensure the following is set to 0xFFFFFFFF.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Ciphers\AES
256/256\Enabled

112 | P a g e
References:

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

113 | P a g e
7.13 Ensure TLS Cipher Suite ordering is configured (Scored)
Profile Applicability:

Level 2 - IIS 10

Description:

Cipher suites are a named combination of authentication, encryption, message

authentication code, and key exchange algorithms used for the security settings of a
network connection using TLS protocol. Clients send a cipher list and a list of ciphers that it
supports in order of preference to a server. The server then replies with the cipher suite
that it selects from the client cipher suite list.

Rationale:

Cipher suites should be ordered from strongest to weakest in order to ensure that the more
secure configuration is used for encryption between the server and client.

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA384

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA384

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256

Avoid cipher suits that do not provide Perfect Forward Secrecy or use weak hashing
function, use them only if you need to support backwards compatibility and in the bottom
of the list:

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (uses SHA-1)

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (uses SHA-1)

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (uses SHA-1)

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (uses SHA-1)

114 | P a g e
TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (lack of Perfect Forward Secrecy)

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 (lack of Perfect Forward Secrecy)

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA256 (lack of Perfect Forward Secrecy)

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256 (lack of Perfect Forward Secrecy)

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA (uses SHA-1, lack of Perfect Forward Secrecy)

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA (uses SHA-1, lack of Perfect Forward Secrecy)

Note: HTTP/2 compatibility: first 4 ciphers (in bold) in the top part list are compatible with
HTTP/2

Audit:

To verify that the cipher order has been configured properly, navigate to the following
registry path.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Cryptography\Configuration\Local\SSL\00
010002\Functions

The correct cipher order is listed below

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA384

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA384

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256

Bottom part, backward compatibility list and ordering of ciphers (may be missing or
incomplete):

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA

115 | P a g e
TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA

TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA256

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA

TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA

Remediation:

To establish the recommended configuration via registry setting, set the following registry
key path to and confirm it is set as prescribed.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Cryptography\Configuration\Local\SSL\00
010002\Functions
TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384,TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA2
56,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA25
6,TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA384,TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SH
A256,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA384,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA
256

To establish the recommended configuration via GP, set the following UI path to
Enabled:TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384,TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_
GCM_SHA256,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_G
CM_SHA256,TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA384,TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_12
8_CBC_SHA256,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA384,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128
_CBC_SHA256

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Network\SSL Configuration

Settings\SSL Cipher Suite Order

This group policy setting is backed by the following registry:

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Cryptography\Configuration\Local\SSL\00
01000\:Functions

Add backward compatibility ciphers as needed:

TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA,TLS_E
CDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA,TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA,TLS_RSA_WI

116 | P a g e
TH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384,TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256,TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CB
C_SHA256,TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256,TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA,TLS_RSA
_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA

Impact:

Cipher ordering is important to ensure that the most secure ciphers are listed first and will
be applied over weaker ciphers when possible.

CIS Controls:

14.2 Encrypt All Sensitive Information Over Less-trusted Networks

All communication of sensitive information over less-trusted networks should be
encrypted. Whenever information flows over a network with a lower trust level, the
information should be encrypted.

117 | P a g e
Appendix: Summary Table
Control Set
Correctly
Yes No
1 Basic Configurations
1.1 Ensure web content is on non-system partition (Scored)
1.2 Ensure 'host headers' are on all sites (Scored)
1.3 Ensure 'directory browsing' is set to disabled (Scored)
1.4 Ensure 'application pool identity' is configured for all

application pools (Scored)
1.5 Ensure 'unique application pools' is set for sites (Scored)
1.6 Ensure 'application pool identity' is configured for

anonymous user identity (Scored)
2 Configure Authentication and Authorization
2.1 Ensure 'global authorization rule' is set to restrict access (Not

Scored)
2.2 Ensure access to sensitive site features is restricted to

authenticated principals only (Not Scored)
2.3 Ensure 'forms authentication' require SSL (Scored)
2.4 Ensure 'forms authentication' is set to use cookies (Scored)
2.5 Ensure 'cookie protection mode' is configured for forms

authentication (Scored)
2.6 Ensure transport layer security for 'basic authentication' is

configured (Scored)
2.7 Ensure 'passwordFormat' is not set to clear (Scored)
2.8 Ensure 'credentials' are not stored in configuration files

(Scored)
3 ASP.NET Configuration Recommendations
3.1 Ensure 'deployment method retail' is set (Scored)
3.2 Ensure 'debug' is turned off (Scored)
3.3 Ensure custom error messages are not off (Scored)
3.4 Ensure IIS HTTP detailed errors are hidden from displaying

remotely (Scored)
3.5 Ensure ASP.NET stack tracing is not enabled (Scored)
3.6 Ensure 'httpcookie' mode is configured for session state

(Scored)
3.7 Ensure 'cookies' are set with HttpOnly attribute (Scored)
3.8 Ensure 'MachineKey validation method - .Net 3.5' is

configured (Scored)
3.9 Ensure 'MachineKey validation method - .Net 4.5' is

configured (Scored)

118 | P a g e
3.10 Ensure global .NET trust level is configured (Scored)
4 Request Filtering and Other Restriction Modules
4.1 Ensure 'maxAllowedContentLength' is configured (Not

Scored)
4.2 Ensure 'maxURL request filter' is configured (Scored)
4.3 Ensure 'MaxQueryString request filter' is configured (Scored)
4.4 Ensure non-ASCII characters in URLs are not allowed

(Scored)
4.5 Ensure Double-Encoded requests will be rejected (Scored)
4.6 Ensure 'HTTP Trace Method' is disabled (Scored)
4.7 Ensure Unlisted File Extensions are not allowed (Scored)
4.8 Ensure Handler is not granted Write and Script/Execute

(Scored)
4.9 Ensure 'notListedIsapisAllowed' is set to false (Scored)
4.10 Ensure 'notListedCgisAllowed' is set to false (Scored)
4.11 Ensure 'Dynamic IP Address Restrictions' is enabled (Not

Scored)
5 IIS Logging Recommendations
5.1 Ensure Default IIS web log location is moved (Scored)
5.2 Ensure Advanced IIS logging is enabled (Scored)
5.3 Ensure 'ETW Logging' is enabled (Not Scored)
6 FTP Requests
6.1 Ensure FTP requests are encrypted (Scored)
6.2 Ensure FTP Logon attempt restrictions is enabled (Not

Scored)
7 Transport Encryption
7.1 Ensure HSTS Header is set (Not Scored)
7.2 Ensure SSLv2 is disabled (Scored)
7.3 Ensure SSLv3 is disabled (Scored)
7.4 Ensure TLS 1.0 is disabled (Not Scored)
7.5 Ensure TLS 1.1 is enabled (Not Scored)
7.6 Ensure TLS 1.2 is enabled (Scored)
7.7 Ensure NULL Cipher Suites is disabled (Scored)
7.8 Ensure DES Cipher Suites is disabled (Scored)
7.9 Ensure RC4 Cipher Suites is disabled (Scored)
7.10 Ensure Triple DES Cipher Suite is Disabled (Scored)
7.11 Ensure AES 128/128 Cipher Suite is configured (Not Scored)
7.12 Ensure AES 256/256 Cipher Suite is enabled (Scored)
7.13 Ensure TLS Cipher Suite ordering is configured (Scored)

119 | P a g e
Appendix: Change History
Date Version Changes for this version

3/31/17 1.0.0 Initial Release

120 | P a g e

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